Blue Sector
by ms.macintosh
Summary: "You wanna tell me what this is, or should I start?" He asked, clearly annoyed. Boomer looked at his brother from across the desk. His hands were in his lap, knotted and twisted from nervousness. His head was down, and he wasn't looking at Brick at all. In front of him, on the desk were tabloids. Three tabloids all reporting about the infamous Brick Johnson. Mayor of the Red sector
1. Chapter 1

"You wanna tell me what this is, or should I start?" He asked, clearly annoyed. Boomer looked at his brother from across the desk. His hands were in his lap, knotted and twisted from nervousness. His head was down, and he wasn't looking at Brick at all. In front of him, on the desk, were tabloids. Three tabloids all reporting about the infamous Brick Johnson. Mayor of the Red sector, and head supervisor of JOJO Inc. He was a big deal.

Boomer gulped. "Well..." he started. He didn't know how to say this to Brick, it had been plaguing his mind for some time now. Boomer didn't run a sector like Brick did, so he had no idea how you ran a city. He was just in the media department, but if anyone saw the tabloids today, they would know he wasn't very good at his job. Brick poked one of the tabloids, it seemed to be reporting an affair he had twelve years ago with a miss Morbucks. Boomer didn't know who Princess Morbucks was personally, but he did know she was one of the most well respected citizens in the Red Sector. As her name suggested, she had a lot of money. "I don't think you understand how to do your job, Boomer." Brick said. "The media has been on my ass for two weeks now with this!"

Boomer still wasn't looking at his brother. He didn't understand what was so wrong about a few rumors. It was nothing major anyway. Lots of other celebrities had been subject to the tabloids. But no one's really believed them at all. "I understand your anger, but... you can't expect people to not talk about you. I mean, your Brick JoJo. Shouldn't this be nothing to you?" He said looking up at Brick. Brick slammed his fist on the desk.

"No! It means everything to me! First they report I'm an alien, and then they really dig up the dirt. What happens when the shit they spew starts to make sense to those idiots? How can I rule a city with people who think so little of me?" He boomed. He stood up, he looked very business like in that black suit of his. It had slight, silver lines going down the legs, and red cufflinks with an additional velvet tie. His hair was cut, no longer was it long or held in a messy ponytail. He ditched the hat, but he still kept it in his office on his bookcase. Most strikingly of all though, were his eyes. They were an unnatural shade of red. They seem to darken when angry, which really freaked Boomer out sometimes. Remnants of old power long gone. Bricks hands were behind his back, all serious.

"Boomer, get rid of these rumors. Now. Or I'll fire you. You can say goodbye to that apartment and scholarship I got you, unless you don't flush out the media. Leave." He said. Boomer nodded, he got up and turned toward the door.

Before leaving, he turned and said, "Um... you know it's our birthday right? Butch is planning a party this evening at the Grande Bellum Theatre. I just wanted to tell you, because you hate surprises." He said. He nervously chuckled, as he took one last look, and walked out the door. Standing there, waiting to go in was a boy his age with brown hair and eyes. He wore a faded brown hoody, with a black shirt underneath. A custom made design that read "Mitch Rules" in sketchy white lines. Mitch looked up expectantly."He didn't take it so well." Boomer said to him. Mitch slumped into one of the waiting room chairs.

"Man. I knew I shouldn't have written that story. You were right Boom." He said. Boomer sighed, and took a seat next to him. "Well at least I've got work now. I've got to make Mr. Red here as spotless as an angel. Otherwise, the media will eat up that story you wrote." He said. Mitch put his hands behind his head, sitting back he closed his eyes, and rested. "And it doesn't help with Morbucks being at the party. She might take this whole thing and ruin it." He said. The party was something that couldn't go wrong. If it did go wrong, Brick would make Boomer pay for it.

"I shudder thinking about it. Remember last year's Christmas fiasco? Oh, it was horrible! The amount of written apologies that went into that?" He shook his head. "My wrist hurts thinking about it." Mitch got up from his seat. He had a bag slung across his shoulders.

"I just remembered, I gotta go give bitchy her coffee. You know how she is." He said. Boomer could see he clearly didn't have a cup of coffee with him. He would be late no doubt, and Mitch being who he is would probably try to lie his way out. Boomer groaned.

Why did he have to be the one to lose his powers first? Years ago, when they were little. When they could fly, and crush things with their hands. When they could lift cars, and buildings like it was nothing. Boomer didn't really care about the well being of the city, but when he lost his powers, he saw what it was really like. There was no need to feel threatened, or to even feel sad about the things people said about him; not when he could fly away. He really missed that feeling of flight.

"Hey." Someone said from across the room. He was taken out of his thoughts. He looked up and saw a girl he hadn't seen before. She had bright blue eyes, and she wore a dusty halter top. She also had on big baggy shorts, that were really dirty. Ties around her waist was a big, clunky work bag, which looked as if it were tied together with duct tape. And to make things even more stranger, her hair had beads braided into them, not small beads, big bulky ones. Big, bulky blue beads that were noticeable a mile away. All of her hair tied intricately back with a blue ribbon.

"Can I help you, miss?" He asked her. She had this very serious look on her face. Boomer felt like something was off about her. Did he know her from somewhere? The girl walked closer to him. He stood up, and took a few steps back.

"Are you Boomer JoJo?" She asked. Her eyes were all serious, they were also really pretty. That blue color really fit her. As he took a second look at her, he noticed she had big hiking boots on, caked in mud and what he thought was ash. Did she live near the woods, or something? That would explain why she's so dirty right now. But despite the dirt, he couldn't help but notice she was also very pretty. He decided to stop staring at her like that, she probably thought he was some sort of pervert now. He nodded. "Yeah that's me." He said. He smiled. "Can I help you with someth-"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was blown back with a kick into the wall. His body flew, and he was flung into the next room. He landed right on Bricks desk, his brother looked down at him mortified. Blood streamed from the corners of Boomers mouth, he couldn't quite speak yet. Boomer didn't really feel any pain. He was in shock at the moment. "Boomer!?" Brick finally said. His brother looked up to the doorway. The girl from before walked through the hole Boomer made. Brick stumbled back. He fell on the floor, and hid behind his desk. Boomer couldn't move at all. He felt like everything was broken.

The girl looked at him once. Boomer looked her in her eyes, she was probably gonna kill him here. But then she broke her gaze, and went to Brick. Brick got up and tried to run, but the girl threw something at him. Boomer couldn't see what it was, but based on the sound Brick made, it must have hurt a lot. Boomer still couldn't speak. He saw white spots before his eyes. He thought this must be it. He's going to die isn't he. He closed his eyes, and waited. The white light came, and then over come by a bright, blue light.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself sitting in a chair. His hands were knotted from nervousness. This time they were shaking. He looked up, only to be met by his brothers annoyed gaze. On the desk in front of him were three tabloids, one of which reported an affair Brick had with Miss Morbucks twelve years ago.

"You wanna tell me what this is, or should I start?" He asked.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters associated in this story at all. All characters belong to Craig McCracken and Cartoon Network. If you have any issues of copy right please PM the author and changes will be discussed. Please leave a review and a favorite for the story, it means a lot. If your reading this a second time, I'd like to tell you that I edited the other chapters including this one. Nothing major was changed, just things like dialogue to make it flow easier, and some punctuation. I also made the paragraphs a bit easier to manage, so if everything looks different, don't worry, nothing has change in the story. It's all pointless stuff anyway. Carry one with your reading.**

Brick stared at his brother from across his desk. "You wanna tell me what this is, or should I start?" He said. He had been sick and tired of the media. For two weeks he had been hounded endlessly with stories about absurd things. It bothered him greatly to see that people, citizens for God's sake, thought so little of their leader; that they would denounce him as a play boy. He poked a finger at one of the tabloids on the desk. Boomer wasn't looking at him at all. His brother seemed rather shaken, literally. Brick could see Boomers hands shaking visibly. It made Brick stop for a second. "Whats wrong with you?" He asked. Boomer gave no response. What the hell was wrong with his brother? He decided to go easy on him this time around.

"Listen, it's just tabloids. I'm sorry i-" he stopped short, because Boomer started crying. He was taken aback by his brothers sobbing. "Bro- dude- boom, it's fine. Just don't let it happen again. I swear I'm not mad." Brick said, his eyes filled with worry. Boomer was still crying.

Finally, he sniffed and said. "It's not about the tabs..." Brick decided to let his brother cry it out. After a few minutes, Brick began to speak again. But Boomer dismissed himself and left, slamming the door on his way out.

He didn't say anything at all. No happy birthday, or anything. Brick sat back in his chair. He wondered what that was all about? Why was Boomer crying? He decided to check on Boomer later. He would take him out to eat, or something, to cheer him up. He needed to clear his mind for a few minutes, anyway. He picked up a few documents. They were trading requests. Trading requests had been coming in a lot lately. He wondered why? It was a problem when people wanted to leave. Brick had tried his best. As he was the last to lose his powers, he had enough in him to fix a few "problems" the city had. One of those problems being a vigilante group who called themselves the "Powerpuff girls." He used to fly around and help with decades old debris clean up. Rubble from fights he had to stop. Rubble from monsters he had to kill.

When he first heard the name, he had to stop himself from laughing. It was so childish. But then the girls started to cause damage. Lots of damage. The former mayor 20 years ago, still had to pay off debts owed to people who owned small businesses, and highway workers who had been put out of work because of monster fights, and super villains.

Brick skimmed over the file. That was the price you paid if you moved here, back in the day. The girls powers were destructive, and yes, while they used them for good, one was never sure if they even cared about what they were doing. They seemed very devoid of emotion most of the time. He remembered he had to bail Butch out every couple of days. The guy loved his sweets and money. Brick tried to talk with one of them once. But she didn't say anything to him. She stared at him with blank, unnatural pink eyes. She nodded, then flew away.

They were gone now though. The girls disappeared from the city when Mojo died. He guessed since they were no longer needed, they left. Mojo had given up his life of crime years ago anyway. Him being the last of the super villain generation, it was only a matter of time before he retired officially. What brick couldn't understand at all about the girls though, was why they were so plain. They would give the most basic of answers, so much that it seemed unnatural. Planned. Scripted. Like they weren't really human. And maybe they weren't.

He got up from his desk and walked to the big window over looking the city. He looked out over his sector. Red Sector was the best city by far, recognised all over the world. Some even go far as to call it the Sector Capitol of the world. It was a bright shiny metropolis, and Brick loved it.

If those girls ever returned, it would ruin the city. It would make everything harder on everyone. Mojo tried hard to be good in the end by making JOJO Inc, a corporation that made the best technology in the world. Most had forgiven him, others were still a little wary, but nonetheless they trusted him. Which is how Brick became mayor over this town. This city. He had won their trust. He couldn't lose it for a second. Which is why these tabloids are a little grating. He picked one up. On it was a "real life picture of Mayor Johnson and Miss Morbucks together at the park!" He hadn't dated miss Morbucks at all. She was cute, but she was taken. And a little gay. A man his age shouldn't even be worrying about that.

The door opened.

He turned to look to see who had come in. He hoped it was Boomer or Mitch. It wasn't. It was a girl. A blonde who was covered in dirt and grime. "May I help yo-" he said, before she threw something at him. He ducked in the nick of time, and looked up to see it was a sharp curved blade. He ran for the phone, trying to call security, but she got there first, inhumanly fast on those feet of hers. She gave him a kick in the stomach that knocked him back against the wall. She stood over him. She had pried the knife from the wall, and was about to stab him, when she was suddenly tackled. Brick got up quickly, Boomer had her on the ground, he arms were pinned. Brick reached for the phone, and just as he finished the call, he was shot.

Right in the head. Brick Johnson died that day, by an assassination attempt. The blonde girl pushed boomer off, and ran for it. The security stormed in the room, two guards went after the girl, but later it was confirmed she had killed herself in a storage unit across the street. Boomer laid there, with a blanket around him, hating himself for wasting his second chance.


	3. Chapter 3

Butch stood at the door of the Grande Bellum Theatre smiling. At each guest, he shook their hand and told them to wait in the lobby. A lot of important people were here tonight. Emissaries from across the globe to be exact. That's just how great Red Sector is, isn't it? Butch almost got a sector of his own, once upon a time. But that was years ago. When Mojo was still around. When he ruled the city. He didn't now. Now he was dead. Butch can't remember exactly how it happened, but he does know how Mojo died.

A group of super powered kids like him brought him down. They were all girls, and they weren't entirely human. Butch read later in a paper on that day, that they were man made creations. Made by a man in a lab. But they're gone now. No more monsters to fight, or villains to stop. Butch was always a trouble maker. When they had their powers, he was the one who decided to rob banks and steal candy, the trouble maker of the group. He was the second one to lose his powers. He was always stopped by one of those girls in the end. He never really made it far when she caught up to him. She was a girl with green eyes, and a plain green dress. Her face as blank and dreary as her attire. It had a single black stripe across the stomach, and her hair was in a short Bob. He could remember how much it sucked when she caught him.

She would bring him to the police station, and leave him there without any answers, just the evidence of his crime. The police would see the stolen candy or money, and throw him in jail. But only for a few hours. Brick and Boomer would pay his bail, and they would fly home like nothing happened. When they got home, Mojo Jojo would be there, waiting for them. He was a strange thing. First of all he wasn't human. He was a monkey. Second of all, he could speak. The citizens of Townsville, what Red Sector used to be called, figured that was good enough for them. He was made a citizen with no questions asked.

Butch checked the time, and continued to shake people's hands. He looked around, trying to see if maybe he had let Boomer in without warning. Nope, that ditzy blonde brother of his was not here yet. He decided to give him a few more minutes. Maybe another hour if he had to. He saw Mitch and his cousins. He was here with his parents, two plain ordinary people with no powers whatsoever. His cousin Robin was here. She was Princesses date for the party, and she was Mitch's cousin. So she, an even more ordinary person than Mitch, was more than welcome at the party.

Butch knew a long time ago that he and his brothers weren't normal.

Mojo had made them in a lab, just like the girls. Well, more like he made them in a toilet. A prison toilet. Mojo hated those girls with a passion; he wanted them destroyed. Back then, they didn't really care about that. Sure, they were bad kids, "brats" is the proper term, but they were also six. No fight insued the day they were created, just them galavanting across the whole city, messing with people. They ran into the girls once or twice, but it was more of a meet and greet in the sky, then a fight. The girls asked them questions, things about Mojo and their own powers, all in the same monotone voice everyone was familiar with.

When they returned home, Mojo wondered why they hadn't destroyed the girls yet. They didn't have an excuse, they just wanted dinner. And so that's how their life went with Mojo. They would leave for school, because Mojo knew the girls went to school, and they would come back being scolded for not trying to kill them. But then he would go and ask them how their day was and what they'd learned. Nothing special, that's what they would say. He would nod, and start dinner, then they would go their separate ways. They were like a family, really.

Butch thought that was enough time for Boomer, he could see head lights coming up the street anyway. He closed the doors of the theatre and waited for boomer to come in.. "Now everyone, please be quiet! Mayor Brick may walk through the door any minute now!" He said loudly. Soft giggles could be heard from the women. A full on chortle from Miss Morbucks. She had Robin by her side, arms locked together, each hiding smiles behind their hands. Butch invited Princess Morbucks to the party as a joke. He knew she had read the tabloids, he just wanted to see Bricks face when he came in she yelled, "BRICKY!" As if they were old friends. They weren't. Which made it all the more hilarious.

A few minutes passed, and the doors finally opened again. And this time, it's Boomer who walks in, as well as a few other people. They looked like reporters. Everyone in the room was whispering about the reporters here. They didn't know this would be a public event. It wasn't. It was a private party for friends and family. Butch walked up to Boomer. It was only then that he noticed his brothers sullen expression. He approached with caution. "Boomer?" He asked. "What's going on? Who are all these reporters?" Boomers head was down. His face was hidden by his hair.

"It's Brick. He died today." Boomer said quietly.

"What?" Butch said softly. Then, louder he yelled "WHAT!?" The reporters hearing him came forward, sticking mics in his face, and asking questions. The other guests seemed confused at the ruckus being made. They went up to reporters to ask what was up. That's how the news spread. Brick Johnson was dead. It was a planned assassination. By whom, they didn't know. They just knew he was shot in the head, the only witness was Boomer, who says he wasn't taking questions at the moment. Old friends came up to them both, and gave them condolences. Some even fell on the floor crying. Butch just stood there, in the middle of the crowd, staring at Boomer who still wasn't looking at him. Something was up. Something was wrong, he wasn't telling them something.

"No further questions." He said. He walked past the reporters without a word. He grabbed Boomer by the arm and walked out of the Grande Bellum Theatre. Together, they walked to the home of their former brother Neither of them said a word as they walked.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in this story, excepting some of the conference members. All rights belong to Craig McCracken and Cartoon network. If you are the owner and you have problems with copy right, please PM the author and changes will be discussed. Please leave a review and a favorite for the story, it means a lot.**

Boomer sat in a seat not looking at Butch. Butch was walking back and forth. The party had been canceled due to the events of last night. "I don't understand." He said. "Who would want to-" he stopped then ran his hand through his hair. None of this made sense to anyone. Who would want to kill Brick Johnson? What did he do that could piss someone off that much? Boomer was silent again. Butch knew Boomer was hiding something from him, he just couldn't figure out what. He tried asking, but Boomer wouldn't spill. He would just wave it off, and continue his silence.

The police are lost in the case. They say the girl is dead, and that's about it. They haven't identified her, and no one seems to know who she is. They're still looking for the sniper that took him out. They checked all the buildings, turned over every stone, and no sniper. The only thing the citizens could do was grieve. He was a great mayor, that's for sure. Of course, they don't know about the fraud. All that money going into one project... if they found that out, they'd absolutely hate him. Butch couldn't have that. He couldn't have people hating Brick after his death. He turned to Boomer, "We have to figure this out. If we don't it'll bring to much attention to the city." Boomer understood what he was talking about.

Boomer also had an idea about who might want his brother dead. The girl he saw. After he went back a second time, he's positive it was Bubbles. The eyes, the blonde hair, and most importantly the strength. She kicked him into a wall in one go. He didn't catch on immediately, but he knew his second time around who it was. When he tackled her though, she seemed weaker. How could she kill him with a kick, but then not be able push him off in one go the next time? They must be losing their powers. It was a plausible explanation. But then, who was the sniper? One of her sisters? Which one? How were they even supposed to find them? Boomer sighed in frustration. He put his head in his hands.

"Listen, Boom, just take it easy for awhile. You've been through hell today, and I don't expect you to work tomorrow, so I'll see you then." Butch said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Boomer got up, and went to the door. He looked back at his brother. He debated on telling him everything. The second chance he got, the girl, everything. But then he shook his head and left. He would tell him sometime later.

...

The police have identified the girl now. The chief of police stood proudly before the crowd of media spectators. He had files and documents on the dead girl who killed Brick and herself. "The girls name is Bubbles Utonium. If it sounds familiar, it's because she used to be apart of a vigilante superhero group called the 'Powerpuff girls'." The chief stood behind a podium. Boomer and Butch stood next to him in somber black suits.

The chief continued, "These girls roamed the streets of _Townsville_ , not Red Sector. I don't know if they think they have done good by killing an innocent man, but they have taken away the happiness from a lot of great people. We're working hard on this case, and we won't stop until we bring these killers to justice. Take care." He said. The media stormed the podium stage asking questions and shoving mics in the man's face, but security quickly pushed them back away. The chief walked up to Butch and Boomer. "I'm sorry for your loss." He said. Then he and his men left in their squad cars.

Butch and Boomer were herded into a conference room, in the Red Sector city hall. There they sat in a room, all around the table, foreign dignitaries, and leaders of other sectors facing them with grave expressions. "All right people, we have to plan this out." Said Orska Gay. She was the leader of a sector in Russia called Brown Sector. She was a tall stout woman, who wore a black button down shirt, with a black pencil skirt. She had attended the funeral, but with a stoic "all business kind of look about her. Some wondered if she was as devastated as she claimed to be. "These girls, they could be back. They could bring havoc and panic to the people."

One man slammed his hand on the table. "You don't think we know that!?" He yelled. Mayor Greg Hartley of the Green Sector. His sector was located all the way in Kansas. A small sector, but it held a lot of military purpose. He too wore a black suit, but his had the stripes and bars of a war general adorned on them. The man himself was regal to look at, with his watches and dog tags around his neck and arms. "I say we hunt these girls down! You remember the destruction they caused!" He said.

"We can't do that. Mayor Johnson once had powers as well. And if I remember correctly, he also destroyed a few things in his time." Jade Garland, of Purple sector. Her sector was located on Hawaii. Its sole purpose was commercial trade and business. Her attire was less business like, and was a bit too colorful for a funeral procession. She had a long, flowey skirt that had stencils of flowers on them. Poppies actually. Her hair was not up in a bun, but hung down her back in waves. They had small beads and clipped flower buds woven into it. Boomer can't look at her hair with out remembering Bubbles, so he puts his head down.

"He redeemed himself, a long time ago!" Greg said. "He's no reckless tyrant, he sees things for what they are! Plus I don't remember him flying all the way to Kansas, and scaring away the citizens. People got their trade requests and flooded out of the city, like flies running from bug spray! Their powers were too dangerous for normal people!" Everyone could agree on that. At least the Mayor never used his powers against the whole world, where as the girls found it their duty to protect everything and everyone. It just never occurred to them that people didn't need their protection.

Orska sat back in her chair. "Well for the most part, we can't let people know about this. They can't know that the powerpuff girls are back. _If_ they're back at all. All they know is that one of them is dead and another one, possibly, is still out there. Everyone hates them, for now."

Butch nodded to himself. That was all he needed to hear. Those girls were the ones who everyone blamed now. And it had to stay that way, lest someone find out about what JOJO Inc was really up to at night. The meeting was adjourned, and they all went their separate ways.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these character, excluding Orska Gay. The other characters all belong to Craig McCracken and Cartoon network. If you are the owner, and have issues of copyright, please PM the author and changes will be discussed. Please leave a review and a favorite for the story, it means a lot.**

Three weeks had passed since the murder of Brick Johnson. The police have made no arrests yet. They have no suspects either, aside from the powerpuff girls, who Orska is still adamant about keeping quiet. Butch has been filling in for most of Bricks duties, as elections won't be for another two years, and Boomer finally got back to work. Mitch avoided talking about anything. He knew his friend was still grieving and decided to leave it alone. He wouldn't even try to make small talk about things like his supervisor, or how being an intern sucks. Both of them would sit at their desks and type away doing God knows what for the company. JOJO Inc was going down hill. Fast. Brick no longer ran the place, and Butch was no business man.

"I didn't know he did all this stuff!? I thought this was some sort of tech company? I have to deal with foreign trade and stock, and all these projects that have to be shipped to places." Butch complained over lunch. "Did you know I got a call from Orska Gray herself, asking if we sold wireless air conditioners?" Boomer just sort of nodded. They had went to the company cafeteria. Boomer had a plain salad, and Butch ordered chicken. Butch could tell his brother was in a somber mood again. He had been this way ever since Brick died. Normally Butch wouldn't push his brother, but it had been three weeks, and Boomer hadn't done anything. Literally.

When he came to work, he put his hand up shortly to the Secretary as if saying hi, then went to his small office. He would stay in their, typing away. "I don't know what he's typing, but whatever it is it must be a lot." The Secretary would say. She could hear him typing through the walls. And she said he only ever came out to pee, or to eat. Then when the day was over, he'd glance her way, mumble something, then leave. Butch didn't think it was healthy for his brother to be so out of it.

He spoke up, "Hey, um... why don't we do something later? You know, head out." Boomer looked up from his salad, he had this glossed over look in his eyes.

"Where?" He asked.

Butch shrugged. "I don't know man, wherever! Hey, I heard there's this new club downtown that just opened. It's supposed to be the hottest place around. What do you say? Tonight?"

Boomer shrugged. "Fine. Sure." He looked back down at his salad. Butch smiled to himself. A little partying will loosen his brother up. They sat in silence, finishing their food. Then when they were done, Boomer went straight back to his office. Butch went to the elevators. He had to get up to the third floor. That's where Bricks office was. As he was standing there, he saw a girl. She was leaning casually against the wall, and she was immersed in a pager. She wore a green shirt, with a small black scarf tied around her neck. She had black hair that was tied in a messy braid down her back, and black dress pants. She also had nice green eyes, that Butch thought suited her well.

The elevator dinged. He jumped a little. He looked away from the girl, he thought it was creepy the way he stared at her. He was a little happy to see they were going the same way. When they were both in the elevator, Butch smiled at her. "Going to the third floor?" He asked her. She nodded. He pushed three, and stood there. Butch discreetly stared at the girl more. She was a lot shorter than he was, and he couldn't help but notice a tattoo peeking out on her neck. The girl was still staring at her pager. She sure had a lot of messages. He wondered who she was. She seemed a little familiar to him, but then again, he had had his share of women before.

"You lose something over here?" She asked, still staring at her pager. Butch quickly glanced away.

"Um... no! You just look familiar is all." He said, laughing nervously. Jesus Christ how old was he? 16 or 28? He honestly couldn't tell with how nervous he was now. She sure did smell nice though. Butch mentally scolded himself. That's the kind of things a pervert would think.

"Your staring again." The girl said. Butch straightened up. The elevator doors opened, and she walked out. Butch stared after her. She had a piece of paper with her, he could just make out the words "application" on it, something he just noticed. Was she applying here? He hoped so. He would like to get to know this green eyed girl, whoever she was.

...

Boomer sat at his desk. For three weeks, since the murder happened, he had been doing research. With that research, came mountains and mountains of notes on his computer. At his apartment, were even more notes. All of them about Bubbles Utonium. This girl was dead now. That much was for sure. But he knew he could still meet her. He knew exactly how. He hadn't tested it out, he thought maybe the second chance was just God's way of helping him. Or maybe it wasn't . It could be much more than that. While Bommer did have this job as a media director for JOJO Inc, he also had degrees in many scientific subjects. Biology and medicine being just one of the ones he had snagged. He knew a few things about genetics, and if his hunch about the second chance was right, then maybe his powers weren't gone after all. Maybe the chemical X was still there, it had just toned down all these years because of hormones. Now it was resurfacing, and it was coming back stronger, newer. He had studied chemical X years ago in college. Chemical X was a strange drug. Boomer wasn't sure how to describe it, but it had its own immune system, he guessed? It would build defenses against anything trying to kill it.

Which is why the Antidote X didn't exactly work anymore. Mojo would give it to them like flu shots. And over time, the chemical X learned to defend itself against the Antidote. He didn't understand how it worked really, Mojo didn't really understand it either. But knowing this, Boomer thought this might explain why he got his second chance. Because it's a power he has gained. Now all he had to do was find something to kill himself with. Okay, maybe that was a bit extreme. He didn't exactly know how the power worked, or even if it was a power. But it was his only shot. Without it, he wouldn't be able save Brick. Boomer had to test it somehow. He remembered when he was dying in his first chance, he saw a blue light. That blue light must have been the power. He tried closing his eyes, and imagining the blue light, but nothing. He banged his head against the desk. This was pointless. Everything was pointless.

He got up and looked at the notes he had written. Behind his computer were countless stick my notes and articles all on Bubbles. Every magazine article and research appear on Chemical x was strung across the wall like Christmas ornaments. He looked at his computer and saw the ten page essay he had written a few years back on chemical deleted it. There was no point to this. No point in trying. Even if this power did work, what was he supposed to do? How would he confront her? Boomer felt like giving up completely. His brother was dead. It would be a matter of days before people looked deeper. Then they would hate him. Boomer didn't know exactly about the project Brick had been working on, but it was using money from taxpayers, and whatever it was it wasn't good. Boomer decided not to pry, though. If his brother thought his project would help the city, then fine. He would let him be. But now people were trying to find something. Boomer couldn't mislead the media forever. All of it was just too much.

He didn't want people to hate his brother, but he knew it was inevitable. Boomer suddenly got up. He hadn't visited the roof in awhile. He used to go up there because he liked the view of the city. There was a flower garden there. He hadn't seen the flowers in awhile. He walked out of his office, the Secretary was there. She asked where he was going, but he didn't answer. In fact, he almost didn't hear her. She had said it about three times. He ignored her though, and went to the elevators. He pressed the top floor and waited. When he got there, no one else was on the roof. He went to the flower beds. They still looked the same. He went to the edge so he could see the people. They were all walking and enjoying life. The pavement suddenly looked like a nice place to Boomer. Without really thinking, he climbed on the ledge. He stood on the ledge, looking down at the people. He took a small step forward, right before he heard the doors behind him burst open. Butch came sprinting to him, yelling his name. "Boomer!" But it was too late, Boomer had fallen too far for him to reach, and before he knew it he was on the pavement. His vision was overtaken by a light, and then a familiar blue light.

When he opened his eyes, he knew exactly where he was.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, aside from Brenda Stillwater. All rights belong to Craig McCracken and Cartoon Network. If you are the owner and have issues of copyright, please PM the author and changes will be discussed. A slight issue was made when uploading chapters. All chapters are now in correct order. Please leave a review and a favorite for the story, it means a lot.**

Butch stared after the girl as she got off the elevator. Seeing the papers in her hand, he thought maybe she was applying for a job here at JOJO. He hoped so. He would like to get to know her. He stopped staring after her when she turned down a corner. He walked out the elevator and headed for Brenda's office. Brenda Stillwater was the best in the Tech Department. She was the one who had proposed some of the best gadgets to Brick. Brick had her in charge of everything from money to trade in the Tech Department. And Butch hated her. To him, she was just way too controlling. Butch couldn't take a piss without her knowing about it. He wondered if this was how she was with his brother, all controlling and on his back. Her office was relatively big, almost as big as Bricks. Everyone else had tiny spaces. They were almost like cubicles. Butch came up to her door, and knocked. He could hear her talking on the phone, when he knocked she hung it up, and came to answer. "Johnson. What do you want?" She said. She opened the door wider for him to come him.

"Well, it's about Brick. How long do I have to keep doing... you know, his job?" Butch asked, scratching his head.

Brenda crossed her arms, she had on a blue pant suit, with white stripes going down the sides. She had a red dress shirt underneath, and a gold necklace around her neck. Her hair was graying and brown, and tied in a bun. She had a look of disappointment on her face. "I really don't think your suited for the job either, but you've gotta do it for now. Your family to Brick, so what better person to fill the spot?" She said. She said the last bit mockingly. She must have heard about the meeting they had with Orska and the others. She sighed, and walked over to her desk, fiddling with a picture of her on vacation.

"It's just ridiculous. It's almost as if we're actors on a set, trying to please the audience." She said. "You have to play the part until we figure this out. No elections are being held, so expect some mayoral paperwork coming your way." She said pointing a pen at him. Butch shrugged his shoulders.

"It just seems to me that I could use a little help? I don't know a damn thing about running a city! Let alone a great sector like Red Sector!" He said. Brenda angrily put a finger to her mouth and shushed him.

"We don't know who's watching so shut it!" She said in an angry whisper. Butch didn't see the point in being quiet. Especially after she just said it's like they were "actors on a set." He didn't think Brenda was as bright as she claimed to be.

"So what? No one's got the place tapped, that's stupid!" Butch sighed. "We have to do something though. We can't keep holding back elections, people will grow suspicious. We absolutely can't let in some random politician. They would ruin the place." Despite its name, Red Sector was neither red nor blue when it came to politics. They always did their own thing.

"I've been getting calls from Orska, she says she'd like us to unite the two sectors. Hers and ours, one giant sector helping the world." Brenda shook her head. "It's all crazy. Now that Mayor Bricks gone, everyone is flocking to take advantage of the place. They all want a piece of Red Sector." She said quietly. Butch had to agree with her. Ever since Brick died things have slowly gone down hill. People have been quitting, more trade requests have been coming in. It was all so overwhelming. He had no idea what to do. He tried confiding in someone for help. Anyone! Boomer was way too out of it most of the time to even listen or take him seriously. Mitch was just as lost as he was.

"I'm just an intern, I don't know a damn thing about running a city either." He said. Butch's shoulders sagged.

"I guess I'll see ya then. Good night." He said. He turned to leave. As soon as he walked out of the office he felt really tired. All of this was just too much for him. Before this he was just some Broker in downtown Red Sector. He had the best spot in town, but ever since he's been working two jobs, his first job has gone flat. Most of the money he makes from this job has to go into other things, like projects for the city. He only had enough for living expenses. The only way he was able to even propose going to the club with Boomer, is if he saved up some money. Butch went into the bathroom. He turned the faucet on, and dumped some water in his face to wake him up. He looked at himself in the mirror. He saw how tired he looked for the first time. He had giant bags under his eyes, and his hair was a mess. It's as if he hadn't slept in days. He banged his head against the mirror, he doubted everything about himself now. He wasn't a mayor, he wasn't a leader at all. He couldn't do this, yet he had to. Everyone knew he was messing up, they could tell just by looking at him, how much he has goofed. He felt like giving up. Completely.

He closed his eyes, and for a few minutes he saw nothing but darkness. Then the darkness was overpowered by a green light, and suddenly he could see someone. He could see Boomer, standing on the roof, climbing up the edge. He blinked, and started to run. Butch didn't question whatever it was he was seeing but whatever it was, he had to stop it. He ran for the stairs, hoping to get there fast. He burst through the doors of the roof, and saw Boomers figure falling. "Boomer!" He yelled out. But it was too late. Boomer had jumped off the roof and had fallen to his death. The people down below on the sidewalk screamed. "Someone call 911!" A man yelled.

...

Butch now sits at his desk in the office that used to belong to his older brother Brick. He has a black suit on with a green undershirt, and velvet green tie. It looks similar to the kind Brick used to wear. He had both of his hands folded on the desk, and he stared blankly at the girl before him. The girl with the pager from the elevator was here. She worked here now, kind of. After Boomer had killed himself, she replaced him in the media department. So now he had to meet with her every week to talk about his public figure. Boomer killed himself not just two weeks ago, and it still haunted Butch. The girl with the pager, Buttercup Ultaire, set her pager down finally after sitting there for five minutes, and took something from her purse. She handed it to him.

"This is a newspaper from yesterday." She said. The headlines were nothing special. Just reports of affairs and shady business deals. "So as you can see, there's nothing major being put out. But we still gotta work on your figure. People see you as 'The Second Mayor.' Which isn't good in my book. So your gonna be a social butterfly for a few days. Until people see you differently." She said. She picked up her pager again and began typing something in. "I've already booked hundreds of places for us to go to, including a memorial site for your brother. We've got to be there. Friday, by ten, don't be late." She said. And with that she got up and walked out. She wasn't as nice and inviting as he thought she would be.

Butch sat back in his chair. Because they could find no replacement, they made Butch the mayor and head of the company. Something he didn't want to happen. Another thing he didn't want to happen was his brothers death. He saw Boomer kill himself, in advance. He had some strange vision of what was happening before it happened. It tripped him out. He kept thinking maybe he could've gotten there faster, or maybe he could've done something more. But he could never come up with an answer.

He had also been getting more and more of these visions. They happened sporadically and were often about random people. He couldn't control it, it just happened. Like sneezing. Just then, he had seen Buttercup hand in her weekly report before going to her small office. He waited. A few minutes later, he could hear her office door closing. He didn't tell anyone about this strange ability he had. He decided to keep it a secret. He didn't want to freak people out or anything. He leaned forward in his chair. He had work to do.

He sighed, and got busy.


	7. Chapter 7

Boomer finds himself sitting in the same seat he was in when he first went back. His friend, Mitch is standing in front of him. Talking about the same damn cup of coffee. He gets up suddenly, and looks his friend directly in the eye. " I think I better go now." He says. Mitch looks confused.

"Oh? Okay then…" He says. Boomer had cut him off in mid sentence, and normally that was not something he did. Boomer was the "Nice one", right? Mitch shrugged it off, and turned around and left. He waved at him from behind. "See you later man." He said. Boomer didn't even stop to see if he turned the corner. He burst back through the office, startling his brother, back from the dead again. The office is not the same. Someone else is in the office this time. A woman with long red hair, she sits in the seat Boomer had sat in when he was called into the office. She didn't turn around when he barged through. She didn't even flinch. Like she was expecting something like this.

"Boomer, what the hell?!" Brick yells. "You knew I was in a meeting, I said I'd call you in later, just wait outside!" He said.

The woman spoke up. "No, no it's fine. Really! Let him stay for a while." She said. She had a voice that commanded everything around her. It was a deep, and sonorous voice, but it still sounded feminine. Brick relaxed a little, almost completely.

"Alright. Then Boomer, have a seat. We were talking about… Um… I can't seem to be able to…" Brick could not remember what he was talking about just a few moments ago.

"We were discussing my trade request, remember?" The woman said.

Brick nodded, as if remembering again. "Yes… Well, about that, I'm afraid I'll have to deny it. We have to many as it is, and-"

"But I need to leave Red Sector. It's very important that I-" Brick cut her off.

"And while I understand that, you have to take into account how important the trade request system is to our city. It affects every single Trade Unit, including the Criminal Department. You'll have to wait until the ban on Trade Requests is lifted." The woman's shoulders sagged a little. Boomer scoffed, and his brother glared at him.

"Something you'd like to add, Boomer?" Brick asked. Boomer shook his head. He knew who this woman was. She was apart of the assassination last time. Why else would she be here? Brick cleared his throat.

"Well then I guess that settles everything." He said. "Is there anything else you'd like help with, Ms… What was your name again?" he asked. The woman smiled. "Ultaire. My name is Blossom Ultaire." Brick nodded.

"I'll be sure to put you on the list as soon as the ban is lifted ." He dismissed her, and she left. Boomer watched her the whole time, and the whole time he couldn't help but feel sick. Her smile was poison.

…..

Brick glared at his brothers turned back. "Seriously!? You embarrassed me in front of her! What if she had been one of the officials!? I should fire you for that stunt!" He said. He was red with anger. Boomer blinked at his brother, stupidly. He had almost forgot why he was here.

"Brick! I have to talk to you about something!" He said. He stood up, and grabbed his brothers hand, dragging him toward the door. Brick yanked his hand away from his brother's.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" he asked. Boomer shook his head.

"We can't talk about it here." Boomer said, exasperated.

Despite being beyond pissed, he decided to humor his brother a little. "Alright. Fine. We can talk. But after that, I'm firing you." He said. Boomer didn't even seemed fazed.

"That's perfectly fine with me, just move." He led his brother out of the building.

They walked for sometime until they reached a secluded area, Boomer kept looking around, he tried peering into the building windows across the street. If there was ever a time he truly wished for his powers, it was right now. They finally stopped by the veranda, near the gardens. The Red Sector City Hall building housed a lot of people during the day, and it also got a lot of visitors. As such, it had pointless things like a garden, and a public pool. The veranda was surrounded with trees, and it was the only place that Brick had deemed unimportant. Because he didn't care about it, neither did the maintenance or groundskeeping crew. Which made it the best place to talk in private, away from nosy ears. Boomer turned to his brother, and spoke quickly without pause. "Someone's trying to kill you, and I know who they are. We don't have a whole lot of time, and there is absolutely no way I can explain how I know this, I just do." Brick stared at his brothers determined face. He had never seen him look serious until then. Boomer had never been serious in his life, and right now it was almost unsettling.

"What- I- This is some joke right?" Brick said.

Boomer shook his head, "No. Someone is trying to kill you, and I know who it is, but-"

Brick put his hand up. "Let me guess, you don't have any proof? Okay, this has been nice Boomer, but you and Butch really need to think up more creative pranks then-"

Boomer jumped on his brother, pushing him on the ground. Something whizzed past his ear just as they landed on the ground. Brick turned his head softly only to find a small dart in the dirt. It had a feathered tail, red feathers so close they touched his cheek. Brick paled a little. Boomer, who was still pinning him down, grabbed the dart up. It was a small dart, but it was not meant to be shot. The tail feathers were slightly burned on the ends. Boomer pulled his brother up, Brick is shaking. He cannot take his eyes from the dart in Boomer's hands. Brick just nods, accepting whatever the hell this was.

"We need to alert the guards. Tell them that someone keeps sneaking onto the premises." Boomer says. Brick regrets saying he would fire his brother for a short while. Brick stands in the shade of the trees, while Boomer takes out his phone, sending in alerts all over the building. The two of them are completely silent, and neither moves at all, save for Boomer's hands on his phone.

….


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you for all of the positive feedback. Finals just about kicked my ass, so I didn't really have the energy to write. Thanks for the awesome advice as well. I have been told a thousand times by my friends and teachers that my paragraphs are just too confusing sometimes. I will try a different style now to make it easier on your eyes.**

…..

Butch stood in the elevator for the thousandth time that week, going to some inane meeting, with the other so called "Mayors" from major sectors. _Inane? Where the hell did I get that word from?_ The last few weeks have been hell for the office workers in Red Sector, as they have been shuffling back and forward with a literal media storm. Reporters from all over are here in the city, trying to squeeze as much dirt as they can out of Butch. Twice he's been jumped by reporters in public. At the grocers. In broad daylight.

He sighs heavily, and looks up as the numbers descend all the way from 100, his brothers office, to 9, the meeting room held with visitors. The only good thing about being the temp- Mayor, is his assistant and day planner, Buttercup Ultaire. She answers to BC as well, and Butch likes that about her. He thinks the nickname is a lot cuter than Buttercup. BC is strictly business though, and has made it quite clear she doesn't want to get pink slipped for screwing the boss.

"We aren't rabbits, sir. And this isn't a foxhole." Is what she said to him when he asked her out last week. "Besides, don't guys go for the secretary first?" She had said all of this while planning out the Mayor's Monthly Media Correspondence. Or MMMC, for short. The very meeting he was going to was much like the Presidents Media Correspondence, except this one is strictly mandatory, so he can't boycott the joint because of a few "Incidents" with the reporters. BC stands in the corridor when the doors open on the 9th floor. She has her little Electronic Pager, a little outdated seeing how the last time anyone used one of those, they all had Jerri curls, and shoulder padded suits.

"I've already briefed everyone on the meeting's schedule, so all you have to do is walk in there and answer questions." She said, walking to the end of the hall. Two double doors, both as huge as castle walls, and about as thick as a man's forearm, stand tall and regal. Brick never liked to have meetings here. He said it made him feel pretentious.

"I won't be the only one answering, right?" Butch asks.

BC nods. "Yes. The other Mayors will have questions to answer as well. But don't think that means those vultures won't ignore you. Most likely, you're the subject this time around." She sighs heavily, as if she's the one getting torn apart by reporters. "Good luck in there, chief." She mock salutes him with two fingers, and turns to leave. Not even that was enough to quell the sense of doom in Butch, as he opens the doors to the meeting room.

….

The first person Butch locks eyes with is not at all who he thought he would see. Princess Morbucks sits at the head of the long oak table. A table that spans almost the entire room, and has to account for about 50 people in all. It's one of the longest table's in the world, and right now it's almost terrifying to Butch just how big this thing is. Dirty joke. Ha. BC would not approve at all.

Princess bounds from the head of the table, and runs over to Butch, crushing him in a hug. "I am truly sorry for your losses." She says, loud enough for the reporters to hear. He peels Princess off of him, not unkindly, and smiles at her.

"It's fine, really. Let's just do the Correspondence and get back to business." He takes a seat near the end, where the doors are, but is stopped when Princess insists he take the head seat. Butch obliges, only to shut her up for a while.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Mayoral Sector division, I would like to welcome you to the 67th Mayoral Correspondence. Thank you for coming." He says to the 50 or so other mayors in the room. _As if you even had a choice in coming._ "Let's start off with an easy one. Anyone have any questions on Trade requesting?" BC had told him earlier that this subject was generally the easiest one to answer. Mainly because the answer was either No, No or Not at this time. One eager reporter who looked eerily like the guy who jumped him at the Grocers, raises his hand.

"Is it true that Former Mayor Brick Johnson diverted Trade requests solely for the purpose of non-negotiated treaties from before the Mayoral Stages?" He asks, so dead serious it almost makes Butch laugh. Almost. Butch shakes his head.

"No, there are no treaties left from before the Mayoral Stages. My father made sure of that." Butch says this without trying to sound condescending. BC told him that the media is not the one to piss off.

"I don't mean to be blunt, but right now you're getting pity points. Which is a good thing. It means people will have a chance to like you. Don't ruin the atmosphere by getting pissed at the things they ask you." She had said. "Even if you know they're in the wrong, it's a test. A savage, horrible test that you have to pass with flying colors.

He can already tell this is going to be an awful meeting. Another reporter, a woman with a crazy beehive hair do, raises her hand. "Can you tell us why Trade requests aren't getting through? It's been almost 4 months since anyone has been allowed to leave." Butch considers that one for a while. He doesn't know the full story about the requests, just that no one can leave, because no one is safe. Or something along those lines. Safe from what, he doesn't know, and they won't tell him.

"I cannot actually answer that question at the moment. But we are working on a solution, it's just taking a bit longer than we expected." He says. He is relaxed, with his hands on the table folded, and his suit nice and pressed. They didn't make him wear his dead brother's signature suit, thank god. His is in black, with a green tie, and emerald cufflinks. His initials are sewn into the collar, so small you'd have to lean in to see it. He feels tense, but only in the back. These chairs are hard as hell. For the next few hours, they go through the trade questions, and then it's on to the big guns. The Test.

"Do you think the citizens of red sector will accept you as their mayor, or are the polls turned this year?" This coming from a stodgy, young reporter with a cowlick in the front. Butch swallows, and looks the young man in the face.

"No I don't. Brick was a great mayor, and I would be pretty pissed too, if I ended up with me as mayor." Too soon, he realizes his mistake. The other reporters swarm him with questions. The entire Correspondence, no one but Butch has had to answer questions. The other mayors look at him with something close to pity, but almost barely contained rage. They don't seem too happy to have their spot light stolen.

Princess comes to the rescue, by banging a heavy a dictionary on the table over and over again. The sudden action is enough to get the reporters attention. "I believe that what Mr. Johnson is saying is that his brother was a marvelous mayor, and while it is disheartening to have him gone, we as a sector will welcome him with open arms." She says, with a smile that could melt steel. The reporters sit down again, and all is quiet in the meeting room. The reporters quickly write down Princesses bold statement. From across the table, she winks at him, and he smiles back at her, thankful to have at least one ally in the meeting room.

The questions drag on and on. Soon Butch is too tired to even care, and then the meeting is over, and they can all go home. The reporters file out of the building in droves, packing themselves into cars and carpooling with others. They really are a pack of vultures, Butch thinks watching them from the window. Butch stands in his brothers office, looking over the books and stories filed neatly in the book case by the desk. Butch remembers how Brick never actually had big important books stacked here. They were always things like mystery novels, and old fairytales disguised as legal books. He used to joke that if any of his clients had ever glanced at the book shelf, they would have thought him some kind of imposter.

"I could see the headlines already. 'Mayor secretly five year old in disguise.'" He would say this laughingly, and with a grin that could put the Cheshire cat to shame. He steps away from the shelf as soon as the door opens. It's just BC.

"Well I already heard, and I guess congratulations are in order." She says. Butch looks confused for a moment, and BC shakes her head at him. "What you said in the meeting was almost perfect. The media loved it, and in a good way. Of course, I also heard about Morbucks, and-"

"What about Morbucks? She helped me, didn't she?" He asks her. BC sighs, for the umpteenth time today.

"Morbucks is a scandal we can't have. Remember what I said about rabbits and foxholes." She says. She crosses her arms. "Well the good news is, you finally have one free night. All that planning and work we put you through earlier was just for the Correspondence." If all that was for one meeting, he couldn't imagine what multiple meetings are like. How much planning went into that? Butch smirks as if just getting a funny joke.

"Why, Miss Ultaire, are you asking me out?" He asks. He's only joking. A little. A date with BC wouldn't be too bad after the meeting he just went through. She shakes her head again, chuckling.

"No I'm not, and I never will. But me and some others are going for drinks. Feel free to come along if you want." She walks out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Drinks with BC wasn't exactly as great as a Date with BC, but it was still pretty great.


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks for the positive comments! I changed the stories cover as a thank you. The cover is now a version of Blossom from this AU. I won't tell you which version though. They all tend to blend together in my mind anyway. Tell me what you think of it!**

Princess Morbucks sits in her car outside of a little place on the east side of town known as Lucky's Pub. It's a kind of stereotypical bar, with drunken perverts and careless staff. TV's that blare the same sport programs, even when it isn't the season. The parking lot is full this night, as every drunken businessman in town is trying to drink away their trade problems. Lots of money goes into that, now that she thinks about it. No wonder her daddy was so intent on buying as many requests as he could before passing. She checks her hair in the mirror, her makeup, and clothes. She wants to seem presentable to her date. Not that she never is. Just a precaution. She locks eyes with a brute on the sidewalk. She takes a double take, because she knows that brute. It's Mitch Mitchelson with a girl on his arm. The girl doesn't seem at all drunk, just happy is all. She and a few others help him into a car, and she waves goodbye to her friends as she drives off with him.

"Mitch Mitchelson, you dog…" She says to herself. The car is well out of sight by the time her date arrives. She hears a knock on her passenger window.

"Hey you mind letting a girl in, it's freezing out here." Robin says, smiling down at her. She's all bundled up in a scarf and a hat, and a big winter coat made of wool. Princess always found wool a nice fabric on Robin. She opens the door for her, and envelops her in a hug. "Well, gee, Princess it was just one meeting." Robin say's, giggling. Princess puts on a mock face of despair.

"I know, but it went on for an eternity! You have no idea how much I suffered without you." Robin laughs.

"That's what assistants are for!" she says. She then huffs and looks around the street. "So, where we headed tonight, your highness? Lucky's?" She points to the lit up bar in front of the car. Princess shakes her head. Robin nods in agreement, "Not a place for young Princesses at all." She gasps, as if struck with inspiration. "How about we try somewhere like… Frizzles? It's close by and-"

"What's a Frizzle?" Princess asks, looking confused. Robin gasps even louder than before. She looks at Princess with something like awe, but also confusion.

"Wait… You've never been to Frizzles? It's only the best pizza joint on the west side! And its educational." Robin adds this last statement with pride, as if she herself founded the place. Princess laughed.

"So what, they made a restaurant for History teachers?" She asks cocking an eyebrow. Robin shrugs.

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for the Dewey Decimal System." At this they both laugh.

Princess starts the car, and pulls out of the parking lot heading for the Westbound highway. Robin talks to fill the silence. The radio, while a neat and vintage idea, wasn't built into Princess' car. A one of a kind, Red Sector Monkey Wrench, the fastest car on the streets. The name is ridiculous, so everyone just calls it a JoJo, like the inventor.

"I have just about had it with finals. Those tests are a big pain in the ass to grade." Robin gripes, her head laid back on the seat.

"I can only imagine. Your job is easy compared to mine. I'm just some glorified day planner for the rich." Princess says. She was the supervisor to all of the other advisors, the planners and assistants, of the Mayoral Division. Robin didn't really work for her, just helped out whenever Princess asked. Still, she was a hell of a lot better to work with than some other advisors she's met.

Robin groaned, "You are totally not a glorified day planner! You rock at your job. I saw the correspondence today." She said smiling at Princess. "As regal as ever, my highness." She said, pinching one of Princesses cheeks. Princess blushed.

"Well at least one advisor thinks I'm great." She said. Robin laughed and rested her head on Princesses shoulder.

"You bet your ass, Morbucks. You're Amazing."

…

The night wore on as they drove to Frizzles. It was a tiny speck of light against the dark western country side. It must be some kind of diner. Princess drove, with Robin nestled next to her in the next seat. Robin may have been stretching when she said the place was close by. It took more than an hour to get to this part of the West side. Soon they would reach the diner, Robin would jokingly gripe about how Princess didn't wake her for the view.

 _What view?_ She would say. _Its pitch black out here in the Sticks._

And then Robin would say, _The Sticks have a way better view than the southern skyline, and you know it!_

And then they would both laugh at each other.

Princess didn't have time to comprehend what was happening, until the truck slammed into the side of the car rolling it over 4 times. The moment became still when the car landed in a ditch, right outside the diner. Time itself seemed to freeze, and everything just went deathly quiet. It was as if the wind and the trees were all holding their breath. Then, in the stillness of the wrecked moment, footsteps. Someone was walking towards the car. Princess thought about shouting, but couldn't. The seat belt constricted against her throat, making it hard to talk and breathe. She looked over at Robin, wondering if she was breathing.

She tried to talk anyway, she tried saying Robins name. But all that came out were strangled sounds. Gurgling sounds, more like it. The footsteps stopped, and Princess could see the shoes the person was wearing. High heels, with cute little emerald bells on the straps. It was a woman, not tall by the look of her feet. She made more strangling sounds, trying to get the woman's attention. It worked.

The woman bent down, and Princess couldn't believe who she was seeing. Buttercup Ultaire, Butch's new assistant and planner. She looked down at Princess, who hung upside down, with her girlfriend in the next seat, and didn't seem at all surprised to see them. BC wore a green and beige wool jacket with many pockets. It gave off a film noire vibe, as she reached into one of the pockets. Princess thought she was going for her phone.

It was a small pistol.

Princess screamed, or at least tried to. BC lowered the gun at Princess, and fired. She shot Robin first, head shot. Princess screamed again. BC then shot Princess, killing her instantly. _It's a mercy really._

Princess opened her eyes, breathing heavily as if waking from some awful nightmare. She found herself sitting in her car outside of a little place called Lucky's pub on the east side. Her face is inches from the mirror, poised in that Makeup check position with her lipstick out and her hand on a compact mirror. She looks at herself in the tiny mirror. No bullet holes in her head.

She jumps when she hears a knock on the passenger window. It's Robin, grinning at her, all bundled up in a wool jacket and scarf, her purple hat pulled low over her ears.

"Hey you mind letting a girl in? It's freezing out here." She says.


	10. Chapter 10

Butch is slumped over a bar, his head hurts, and he has no idea where his phone is. The only good thing about the situation is that he is at least still fully clothed. He lets out a low groan of pain. He knows he is not at his house. He's still at lucky's pub from the other night. He can hear splashes of water coming from behind the bar he's thrown over. Someone's here with him at least.

"Hey... guy in the kitchen. Mind helping me out here?" Butch says through strained breaths. The water stops momentarily. He hears foot steps approaching him, and he can't see their face, but he knows those heels any where. "BC." He smiles.

BC bends down in front of him so they're eye to eye. "Who knew mayors were such a handful?" She says wistfully. She grabs him under his arms and lifts him up off the counter. Butch is a little shaken by this, as he's roughly 230 pounds and she's a rather small, lithe woman of about 110. How the hell did she do that? BC smirks at his somewhat terrified expression. "I work out." Is all she says to his questioning stare. Butch gives it a rest.

"I'd hate to piss you off then. You're scary." He says, laughing. He staggers a little, still a little hung over from the night before. "Where is everyone?" Butch asks. The bar is empty save for the two of them. BC returns to the kitchen.

"Lucky said he knew you. Since you were out of commission he entrusted the bar to me for closing, as he had somewhere else to be at the time." BC says. Butch follows after her into the small kitchen. The space is actually kind of neat compared to the other dingy kitchen at City Hall. He doubts Lucky keeps the place this clean. BC must have really cleaned her ass off in here. The floors are polished and even the silverware and pots look shiny. He's one hundred percent sure the bar mugs he usually drinks from are foul looking, and cracked at the rims. She must be a great glass blower to get rid of tiny cracks.

BC stands at the sink. She's still cleaning dishes back here. "You can join if you want. It'll look good to the citizens to see their new mayor doing normal stuff." She says. Butch couldn't help but notice her hair tied back in a short pony tail. It looked cute like that. He went over to the kitchen sink, and began to help her. She washed them, and he dried them off. Neither of them spoke at all for awhile. Until Butch decided to ruin it.

"So what happened last night?" He asked. He looked down at her, but her face remained stoic. No blush or anything, so that was a good sign, he guessed. She blinked slowly, not saying anything. Butch debated wether she heard him or not, when she spoke finally.

"Nothing much. You got drunk with the interns, and eventually passed out on the counter." She said. "It was nothing special really. You lost a couple bets. Some of them more drastic than others." She glanced at him, smirking. God what did he do last night?

For some reason he felt that was wrong. That something about her account of things felt off. He was going to ask her again just to be sure. And then it happened again.

It had stopped a couple of weeks ago. The flashes.

Before they had been about random people.

People he had an infatuation with, like BC.

Sometimes about people he used to know.

Like his brothers.

He thought the flashes about his brothers were false.

They couldn't be flashes of the future, because his brothers were dead.

But this time, he saw neither his brothers, nor BC.

He saw one of them.

The girls from his child hood.

She was older. In different clothing. But he was certain it was the blonde one.

She was outside somewhere, perched on top of a building.

And at the helm of a sniper rifle.

She was loading up, she looked through the scope, took aim...

And fired.

And then Butch ducked and dragged BC to the ground as a bullet ran through the kitchen window. Glass shattered everywhere, and rained down on them. Butch dragged BC away from the kitchen and told her to keep low. BC had a shocked look on her face. "What's happening?" She yelled. Bullets ran through the building now. The room was under complete fire. They both hid behind the bar, their heads drawn down and close together.

Butch grabs at BC's waist, looking for her phone or pager. When he finally finds her phone, he flips it open and begins to dial for the police. The officers on the other end responded immediately when they found out who was on the other end. The order for security and SWAT patrol went out, and in a matter of seconds the bullets stopped. He didn't know if the girl was waiting for him to come out, but he didn't care. He stood up.

"Stay down. I need to check something." He said to BC. She complies and watches him from behind the bar. Butch walked slowly back into the kitchen, slumped over and low to the ground the whole time. He went up to the sink where the kitchen window was. There's something strange about the window. Butch notices three things.

Firstly, the ribbon. There's a small blue ribbon on the outside of the window. Right where the lock should be.

Secondly, the bullet wasn't supposed to even go through the window. Bullet proof glass was something City Hall stocked up on right after Bricks death. They made it mandatory that every business have them. The whole damn place was under serious renovation for months. The day of the Media conference, the construction had finally been completed. The glass was so strong, it could withstand a bullet going faster than 400 miles per hour. So how the hell did these bullets destroy the glass?

And thirdly, which is the most important to Butch at the moment, Lucky was Mitch's cousin. He used to watch over then as kids when Mojo was busy with other stuff.

He's absolutely certain there was never a kitchen window in the first place.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thank you for all of the positive feed back! Your thoughts are what give me the will to write again! Please, if you like the story, and have been keeping up with it, won't you consider following it? Thanks. And if you like the work I've been doing, could you favorite it just once, or leave another hopeful review? That would really help!**

 **...**

Brick sat at a booth in a diner with nothing but a menu to occupy his thoughts for the night. It had been about 6 hours since he was almost killed by a sniper, and it had been about 5 hours since the last time Boomer spoke to him. Boomer had been on his laptop the entire night. Either the laptop or the phone, it didn't matter. He wouldn't glance in Bricks direction at all. Brick scanned the menu, and noticed the silly design the owner had drawn on it. It was a pamphlet with fun science facts and food puns laden all over the place. The restaurants logo, a cross between a bus and a rocket ship it seemed, was in the top left corner of the pamphlet. "Welcome to Frizzles" was written in fun, exciting font with a caricature of the owner in the driver's seat.

A waitress came over to take his order; she had a sketch pad out, and her uniform is that of a dirty apron with math equations on it. "What can I get you gentlemen tonight?" She asks. She must not be from the inner city, Brick decides. Her voice screams with a southern accent, someone from deep in the country. Brick blinks and looks back at the menu, slightly dazed. All that time staring at it, and he never read the damn thing.

"Give us a moment, please?" He asks politely. The woman nods and heads back to the counter. The diner has this retro 50's era feel to it. It even had an old jukebox in the corner. Brick laughs and points to it, hoping to catch Boomers attention.

"Hey, remember? Just like at Mojo's old pad." Boomer says nothing to this. He continues to type. The waitress comes back. She asks if they've ordered yet, and Brick nods. It's just steak and potatoes for both of them. The woman nods and leaves again. Neither of them speak to each other, even when their food comes.

The only thing that could make this worse, is if the security guards outside the diner came in to scout the place. They seemed really adamant about protecting Brick, seeing how he almost died on their watch. Boomer managed to talk them into patrolling the perimeter and the roads. They still weren't content, and they didn't like that the Mayor was letting his little brother tell them what to do. But they followed orders anyway, because Brick agreed with Boomer in the end. It wasn't enough for forgiveness though. Boomer was still mad at him. Right before he saved his life, Brick said he was firing him. All because he barged in on a meeting with some woman he found pretty.

Speaking of which, he didn't know what came over him then. For a moment, when he was speaking to her, he couldn't take his eyes off her. He couldn't even stop listening to her. It wasn't until Boomer came in and ruined it that he came back to his senses. It was still strange. He forgot what he was talking about, until she reminded him. Which isn't something that should have happened since he has perfect memory. Remnants of an old power he used to have. Brick was momentarily shaken out of his thoughts when Boomer closed his laptop. He still had that terrifyingly serious face on, which Brick was not used to ever seeing on his brothers face.

"Alright, I've got a lead." He said. He stood up and went to the door. Brick paid for the meal, and hurried to catch up. Boomer got in one of the Red Sector Issue vans that they drove in. Brick got in next to him in the back seat, waiting for him to speak again.

"So... what kind of lead is it?" Brick asked. "I mean, who is it that we're visiting?"

Boomer put his arm on the door, and looked out the window. He still wasn't looking at Brick.

"An old friend of mine." Is all he said. He tapped the driver on the shoulder and told him to go to the First Police Precinct of Red Sector immediately. Brick looked shocked.

"Wait? We're going to the Badlands?" He said looking at his brother with something close to fear and awe. Boomer just nodded.

It astounded him. All of it. The assassination was obviously nerve racking. But the thought that his little brother could ever know a villain other than their father was very, very scary.

...

Sitting at his desk, with a cigarette in his mouth, he stared blankly at his computer screen deep in thought. The picture before him was that of a guy in his middle ages, with premature hair loss. His hair line was desperately receding to the back of his head, and his face was in need if a serious face lift. There were dark bags underneath his eyes, and the wrinkles made it seem as if he was always scowling. The deputy of the police was standing by his desk.

He pointed to the picture. "Can you believe _that's_ Utonium?" The deputy said. He laughed gleefully. "I didn't think I'd ever live to see the day we'd catch the maker of those freaks." He said with a wicked grin. The deputy was a short stocky man, with slicked back hair and a cheap suit. It was causal Friday, something stupid the rookies suggested to spice things up. The deputy was nowhere near causal today. He even wore cheap cologne to go with the get up.

He patted the man at the desk on the shoulder. "Well it's good that you caught him! Maybe now we'll finally get some press out here. Can you imagine it? Interviews and talk shows to go to?" The deputy smiled at him. "It'd be great to do those things huh, Ace?" He said.

Ace finally chuckled, breaking out of his reverie. "Yeah, it would be great." He said. The deputy patted him again, and turned to leave.

"Well! I guess it's time to close up! You headin' out yet?" He asked from the door. He held a brief case with him in his hand. Ace turned in his chair smiling at his boss.

"Yeah I'll be out soon, Arturo, just give me a sec." Arturo nodded, and turned to leave. Snake returned back to the computer. He was back in his dazed stupor. He just couldn't accept it.

John Utonium could not possibly be dead. He did not kill Utonium at all in that raid. It was too easy. The supposed body the they had in the freezer seemed like Utonium, and it looked like Utonium. But Ace knew. He _knew._ Utonium was not dead, he was still playing games with him. Ace was about to close up the precinct, when he noticed two black vans with red head lights pulling into the station parking lot. He went out to see who it could be, when he got his answer.

" _You._ " He said with venom in his voice.

Boomer Johnson was the last person he wanted to see tonight.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: The next chapter may take time, because I have other stuff to do, but if i can cram writing into my schedule, i'll upload it immediately. Thank you for the comments and if you like the story please consider following it. Thanks!**

The vans pulled up in front of an old, run down police station. It's outer walls were grimy looking, and moss draped down from the roof top. The lights were still on when they pulled up, so Brick wasn't entirely sure they really came to the right place. But when they got outside, and went to meet the man who came to greet them, Brick was even more unsure of where they were.

" _You."_ The man said venomously. Brick wasn't sure if it was just the lighting, but he thought the dude actually looked green. He kept staring at the man trying to make sure. It wasn't until he stepped into the head lights, that Brick was certain of what he saw. The man was in fact green.

While Brick stared incredulously at the green man, Boomer had an uneasy smile on his face. He looked like he was in a lot of pain, physically. He raised his hand in greeting.

"Hey, Ace." He said slowly. Brick shook himself out of his stupor.

"Wait." He said, stepping between them. "Boomer how the hell do you know this guy? He lives in the Badlands!" Brick said. _That last sentence alone should be enough to indicate the insanity of this situation_ , he thought.

Boomer looked sick. Ace stepped forward.

"Yeah, Boomer." He said through angry, gritted teeth. "Tell your brother how you know me." Brick looked at his brother expectantly, but Boomer still looked sick. Brick decided to question him later.

"Look, it's a really long story, but right now I kind of need your help." He looked at Ace pleadingly. Ace scoffed.

"I cannot fucking believe you." He said scornfully. "You're shitting me right now, aren't you?" Boomers gaze wavered from Ace's face.

"I know it's a lot to ask-" he began.

"It's more than a lot." Ace said.

"But I really need your help with something."

Now that Brick got a better look at Ace, he could see that despite the strange skin color, he wasn't that old. He was probably a few years older than they were. Ace had a torn leather jacket, that was dry and cracked in several places. He had black, stringy hair that he tied back in a short pony tail, and shades he had folded away on his jacket collar. If he weren't green, Brick could've sworn he was just an officer in the inner city. But the tinge wasn't the only thing souring his mood right now.

If Ace lived here, or worked here, it was almost guaranteed that he used to be a villain. Or at least a lackey of some former villain. Brick still couldn't imagine his brother knowing either.

Ace still looked very angry. He glanced at the two government security guards behind the vans wheels. "What do you want?" He asked scornfully. Boomer took a deep breath.

"We haven't actually let the news slip out yet, but the mayor's been attacked recently, and we need your help finding the assailants." He said, looking at the ground, rather than Ace. Ace cursed.

He looked back at the run down station. "You better not be lying. Otherwise I don't have much of a choice, do I?" He said. He walked back into the station, with Boomer, Brick, and the two guards who both needed a raise at this point, following him.

The inside of the station was a lot better than the outside. The floors were clean, and it looked like any boring police office. The only exception being the limited space. There were a bunch of cubicles, and whoever designed the place must have been feeling really generous, because they made the cubicles big. Ace didn't have a cubicle it seemed. Just a small desk with an old computer on it. The desktop was cluttered with paper and notes, but Brick didn't take the time to snoop and read them all.

Ace sat down at the computer. "Well because you're the mayor, and because I'm technically a city officer, I have to help you even if I don't want to." He shot a murderous glare at Boomer and Brick.

"And because you've been attacked, under the Reformed Villains Act I have to put my back into it, otherwise I'm fired. Its my way of 'repenting' or whatever." He muttered angrily as he typed. Ace pulled up a simple search engine.

"Tell me everything you know about the assailants. Starting with a name." He looked expectantly at Boomer.

Boomer didn't hesitate. "Bubbles Utonium." He said. Ace froze.

"One of those freaks? Why are you searching for-"

"The girls have returned, there's no doubt about it." Boomer said determinedly.

Ace looked suspicious of them, but typed the name in anyway.

"Well all that's coming up I'd the usual garbage. Super powered vigilantes who used to fight crime. It seems the blonde has sparked a following nowadays." Ace pulled up what looked like a forum for PowerPuff Fans. Brick couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"People have believed in them for a long time haven't they?" He said quietly. He could see that the site had a lot of followers and posts. Things like "Bubbles U rocks!" And "She used to be really cute then! I love her dress!" Or even the occasional "Guys I'm secretly Bubbles Utonium, and I'm writing to say that I've been in Red Sector the whole time." Brick shook his head.

"How long has this been here?" He asked. Ace checked.

"For about... 8 years. Damn. That's about as long as you've been in office." Ace said.

Brick was still very skeptical about Boomers theory. The Powerpuff girls couldn't be back. If they were, they would ruin the city. And with everything Bricks been doing behind the scenes, he'd definitely count as a villain to them. Of course they'd try to take him out.

"Can you see if anyone has actually heard rumors of the blonde being alive even?" Boomer asked. Ace shook his head.

"Nope. Just a bunch of 'i heart bubbles' bullshit." He said. Ace turned in his chair to look at them.

"Under the Reformed Villains Act, I'm not legally allowed to ask you any questions about what it is I'm searching for, or why I'm even searching for it. But hypothetically speaking, if there was some chance that a fourth person asked what it is we were doing, and that person was say... someone you'd have to answer to... what would you tell them?" Ace asked.

Boomer smiled. "You always were funny..."

"Answer the damn question, JoJo." Ace said snidely.

The two security guards cleared their throats. Calling one of the Johnson's JoJo was seen as very disrespectful to the Mayor. It wasn't a rule in the books, but it was one the citizens upheld anyway. Even if Mojo was Reformed in the end, sharing the name of a villain is shameful.

Ace scoffed. Boomer was still smiling. Ace was very close to slapping him now.

"I'd say that what were doing is for the betterment of Red Sector, and the protection of the Mayor." He said.

Ace looked away, pissed. "Pretentious dick..." he mumbled scornfully under his breath. Thankfully the security guards didn't hear him.

Ace sighed, tired. "So you've got business with the Utoniums too." He said.

Boomer looked confused. "What do you mean? He asked slowly.

Ace turned around into his desk and took out the file for John Utonium. He showed them to Brick and Boomer, who both looked thoroughly confused at what they were seeing.

"Who is this?" Brick asked. "I think I know him." Concern was growing in his voice.

"That's because you do. He's the maker of those freaks." Ace said. He tapped the file."And the first recorded villain in 20 years."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I had time today! I wrote this and edited it in one go so it may be a little shoddy. I'll come back and do it again later if there are any noticeable mistakes.**

Princess sits in her stylish new JoJo, listening to her girlfriend Robin drone on about work and her day. Princess is not feeling very happy or jovial, but she feels like she should be. Something about this scene is off. Something is wrong with this picture. She doesn't know what it is, or if it's even there, just that she needs to fix it before it's too late.

"Well, today I was walking with Mitch, and that dumbass forgot my coffee." Robin said, head resting on the window. She sighed. "I just don't know what that kids thinking sometimes. He just spaces out all the time..."

Princess tried to think of something to add to the conversation, but she could only come up with short lines like 'yeah' and 'sounds silly.' Instead she laughed. Robin smiled softly. It was the right response, then. It was silent for awhile.

Princess felt her mind reaching for something. She was searching for something to think of,it was like she couldn't remember something important about tonight. Robin drifted off to sleep, and Princess contemplated her thoughts alone. It was like she was alone, and then she had company. A rush of faces came in to her mind all at once.

She tried to make sense of them, all the while driving on a dark country road, and came up with the conclusion that they were all the same face. They were the same face, yet completely different from one another. She didn't know who this person was. This person she was suddenly remembering in a flash. She felt as if they were important, that they were tied to her somehow.

She got nothing. Only flashes of green eyes, tanned skin, and long black hair tied with ribbon. Was it a child, she wondered? Did Princess forget about some niece or cousin in the Morbucks family, and their face was becoming clear for some reason? That was not it, though. This person was no child. This person could do things that no child should, or could, do.

She could see this person walking towards her in the snow. The snow that she saw piled up on the country road she drove past now. They had cute shoes on. She could not remember their face. She can only remember the sense of fear and terrifying agony that came with meeting them. Relief, then fear, and then absolute terror. White, cold terror that chilled her in this heated car faster than anything had ever chilled her.

She was so cold now, she was sure she could see her breath in the air.

A car came silently up to her window. It was driving fast, trying to keep up with her expensive coop. The car was white. She felt like she had seen it before, but not really. Not here in this cold expanse. But somewhere else. Somewhere peaceful and orderly.

Like the city hall parking lot.

The car was level with hers. Robin still lay asleep against the window. Princess felt a sinking dread in her stomach, just looking at her. The sleek, white car began to inch closer to them, bumping into theirs slightly. Princess honked to let the driver know what they were doing, but it didn't seem to work. They bumped again, harder this time, shaking the car slightly off course. Princess regained control of the car quickly. She sped up, going faster than she dared aloud herself go. Her memory of the car was still null. She has no idea where she could have seen it before.

The white car has no trouble keeping pace with the JoJo. It's beside her before she can blink. Princess is no expert in drag racing, but she was certain that this was exactly what a drag race was. Illegal, and dangerous, and plain stupid to partake in. She grinned. This was fun!

She glanced over at Robin. The girl was a rock at the bottom of the ocean for all the movement she made. Princess stepped on the gas, harder. She pushed the stick farther up, and glanced in the rearview mirror at the white car behind her. It was soon in the dust.

She wasn't sure it was even following her. She smirked, satisfied with herself.

She only had about a 6 seconds to hit the breaks before she hit the concrete wall. The car careened, and rammed straight into the side of a small diner known as Frizzles. For all its worth, that little diner was unfortunately too sturdy.

The impact crushed them both, and killed then instantly. As Princess drifted off to the start, she couldn't help but curse herself for being so stupid. She blamed herself for what happened, but only for a moment.

Only for a moment was she suspended in the light, and then brought back to the beginning. She was on the road again, with Robin droning on about work and such. Congratulating her on the Meeting that was broadcast on that eternal day. Princesses heart was beating fast in her chest, and she was breaking out into an cold sweat. The adrenaline of what she just went through was slowly draining away.

Robin looked worried for her. "Are you okay? Should we pull over?" She asked. Princess couldn't speak. She just nodded, and pulled over on the side of the road. She couldn't hear Robin talking to her. She could only focus on the clear face that popped into her head.

The rush was enough to make it clear for her. The face of the person who instilled so much fear the first time she died. Buttercup Ultaire. BC.

That was the girl who was trying to kill her.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I know it's been awhile, so I made this chapter a little longer for you guys. I'll try to start working on the other chapter as soon as I can, since I now have free time. And I am happy to say, that unlike my previous projects, I actually have an idea for how this is going to go. I would also like to announce that I have an Archive Account now, and the first seven chapters of Blue Sector are up on there. I also have a tumblr by the name of CartoonCaretaker. Ask me anything about my stories, or help about writing, I'm there! Please leave a review and if you have been following the story, please consider following it actually! Just press the follow button, you know? Thanks.**

Butch is one hundred percent certain he is not a ladies man. At least, he isn't one at the moment. BC, his stone cold, stoic as shit media advisor, looks pretty shaken up. And who wouldn't be, after surviving an assassination attempt. They both sit in office chairs at city hall, in his office. There's a bunch of noise and commotion coming from the hallways. And that can be expected, as Butch just survived an assassination attempt. Someone was trying to kill him already, and he hasn't even done anything.

The office was dark. Butch didn't feel the need to turn the lights on, partially because he knew he was being watched. After Boomer died, they renovated the place with not just bullet proof glass, but also high definition cameras that saw everything. He knew the absence of light was futile when it came to the eyes on the walls, but he wanted to make it a bit harder anyway he could. He sat next to BC, both of them facing his desk.

BC was sniffling a little, and if the lights were on, he'd probably see mascara running down her face. Her hair was still in that cute pony tail though. That was the plus side to this shitty situation. He was silent, not because he didn't know what to say, but because he knew whatever it was he did say to her, it would sound lame. BC was not the type to get swayed by some compliments and empty promises. He'd have to be an award winning actor for her to believe a cheesy line like "Are you okay?"

About five minutes passed, and then the sniffling stopped. BC took a shaky breath, and took tissues out of her purse. In seconds she was back to normal. Almost. The traces of mascara were gone, and he couldn't quite see it in the dark, but he was sure her face was probably red. She stood up and walked over to the wall, turning the lights on.

Turning back to Butch she took out her pager and began to do her job.

"Let's go. We have to clear the trash out the streets before people start to assume things." She said. Butch smirked at her.

"Man, nothing stops work, does it?" He said.

She smiled back. "Nope, nothing at all ."

...

A reporter's job is really simple. Shove a black stick in an important persons face until they give you answers, and you've got a job. It's easy to fend off maybe one or two, or maybe even twelve of them at a time. If you have the right security, and a little muscle. Butch had neither of those things, surprisingly. As he stood in the city hall lobby, a grand waiting area with fancy gilded baseboards and lush red seats, he saw the absolute mob waiting for him. The lobby staff were working tirelessly, trying to figure out who was here for business and who was here for tabloids.

One poor worker ended up getting pushed into a potted plant outside, by a husky brute reporter trying to get in. Butch had no security, just BC. To anyone who was watching them, they might think she was just the Secretary, but for all she's worth BC exuded the aura of an army. She looked really pissed, just staring at the mob.

"Damn vultures. We're gonna have to plow through them to get to the car. You ready?" She glanced his way. He wasn't ready at all. But he nodded yes and followed her through the door. Butch put his hand in his pocket. The same pocket he kept the blue ribbon from Luckys. He wasn't sure where the ribbon came from, but he was certain it wasn't there before the attack. The paparazzi swarmed them. They are relentless in their efforts to get answers. They try to push BC out the way, but she stands her ground remarkably well, and is able to make a path to the limo waiting for them.

When they get inside, she slams the door, and curses. She rests her head on the door, and looks at the pager absent mindedly. Reporters bang on the windows, and Butch is almost scared they might break the glass, but then the limo starts to move away, and they are soon leaving city hall.

Butch looks over at BC, wondering if she has any explanation for the giant crowd they just fended off. But she doesn't even appear to be here, in the car. She's obviously tired, that he can tell from the dark circles under her eyes. BC glances at him.

"You really need to work on the staring thing. No one wants a creep for a mayor." She says. Butch laughs.

"I'll try to. Thanks." He smiles at her. It's the warmest thing in this car.

The silence between them stretches onward to an unreachable end. Butch holds the ribbon out, hoping it'll draw her attention and start some conversation, but BC doesn't notice at all. The limo driver up front drives silently, probably out of respect or something, and the tires make little to no sound at all over the hard, cement roads.

"What did you think of the whisky?" He asks her suddenly.

She looks confused. "Whisky?" She says.

He nods. "At the pub. It's their specialty."

She looks away and answers nonchalantly, "I didn't have anything. I'm not much of a drinker."

Butch takes it at face value. It didn't quite make sense to him though, and he couldn't pin down why. He chalked it up to fatigue, and decided to leave BC's drinking habits in the back of his mind.

...

The limo driver brought them to a luxurious apartment in the Southern part of Town. The apartments were never chosen by the Mayor, but rather by the Advisor the Mayor sees every week. BC got to pick this apartment, and Butch couldn't argue with her sense of style. It wasn't one of those sleek, modern apartments you see on tv, but rather a casual looking one with wooden floors and tackle walls. All of his stuff was here, automatically moved once he was sworn in.

His movie posters, his old banking stuff from when he worked at the firm. Even some of his pictures with his brothers as kids. The apartment was not too big, it was enough for a grown man to live in by himself. Butch remembers when he first moved in, the media was shocked to see him living in such a small, rustic looking place. He felt comfortable though, and wouldn't change his living space to appease the vultures.

His apartment was dimly lit by an over hanging lamp, and dust mites floated in the air, creating a sort of musty jazz club feel to it. BC walked over to one of his desks, and sat down on top of it.

"Your apartment is the only private place I could reach. It's the only space the Suits don't have access to." She said.

"The Suits?" He asked, confused. He grabbed a chair from his small dining table, and sat down by the desk. BC's legs, and his arms shared an uncomfortable distance from each other. But BC didn't seem to mind. Or care.

She looked down at him. "The Suits are what everyone in the office calls the Bodygaurds who watch over you. It's just a silly name." She said dismissively.

Butch sat up straighter. "Oh. So you have names for the other guys, huh?" He asked. "Do you have one for me?"

She laughed harshly. "No, but we could give you one." She says.

"Really? Cause I was thinking something along the lines of 'His Majesty.'"

BC shook her head. "Nope."

"'King of everything Handsome?'"

She shook her head.

""Award winner for Best Mayor.'

"Try again chief."

"'Daddy'?"

"Oh my god." She pushes off from the desk. "No. Just stop. That's too weird, even for you." She's trying to be stern, but she's obviously laughing too hard. Butch smiles. He feels like he has won this round. She turns toward the door, and begins to leave.

Butch calls out to her. "Hey wait, isn't there something you wanted to tell me?" He asks.

She looks confused. "What? No, not really."

Butch stares at her. "Then why'd you come here?"

BC stares at him for a long time. "I..."

She looks away for a moment. "I can hang out with you when I want, can't I?" She says quietly. She then leaves.

She leaves Butch feeling happier then he had all day. And that's saying something, considering all of the stuff that happened in the span of a few hours. All thoughts of breakable glass, ribbons and whiskey leave his mind, as he thinks about all the future times he and BC will hang out together.

As far as first dates goes, that one wasn't so bad.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: here's another long chapter. Does this count as jumping the shark, or...? Don't forget to please leave a review. I really appreciate it when people leave feedback. And if you like the story, follow it!**

Ace was not having what you would call a spectacular day. On top of the things that were making his day shittier by the second, black mail from an ex is not at all what he was ready for. He had to admit, out of all the shit he had put up with back then, he could not believe he was actually being blackmailed by the little shit.

"So, you've been investigating John Puff Utonium for three years now?" He said from across the table. They were at Ace's house, if a plastic cube on wheels counted as a house. The place was small, and there wasn't any space. Regardless, Brick insisted on coming here. For whatever reason. Ace didn't really care, or he wouldn't care as much as he really did, if it weren't for the fact that now things were about as stale as a dead horse.

It was long, and awkward on the way here. Brick kept asking questions about him, like who he was, and how he even knew Boomer. And the only thing that Ace could actually say without tripping the guy out even more than he was now, was that they were old college buddies. That seemed perfectly fine with Brick. He didn't doubt the story or anything. Ace was slightly relieved by that for some reason. Though he didn't know why Boomer wanted to lie about it.

"Yeah. It's more of a cat and mouse thing than an actual investigation. I didn't actually catch him though." Ace said. In between the awkward silence, one of the Suits fixed them coffee. And not because they asked or anything, the guy was just really chill with it. _They need to give those fuckers a raise,_ Ace thought sipping his coffee.

Boomer looked at him confused. "What do you mean? I thought you said you found a body?" He said.

Ace nodded stiffly. "I did, it's just… It's complicated." he said. "The point is that Utonium is not dead. He faked his death somehow."

Boomer looked skeptical. "And how do you know this? How the hell could the guy fake a body that could fool the Autopsy?"

Ace set his mug down, and sighed. " _You_ of all people don't have any right to question me on legitimacy. You're chasing down phantom girls with your brother and ex, and you don't have any proof at all." Ace snapped.

Boomer barely flinched. ""Yeah, I could see how you'd doubt me… But it's true, I just can't explain it right now." Ace had no idea what the fuck that meant.

"Even if these girls are back, why the hell are they after your brother? He's no villain anymore, last time I checked. Neither are you, or the other one. Why go after you, unless you're obviously hiding something?" Ace said, pointing at Boomer.

Boomer stood up. "I can't discuss that. It's Sector Secrets-"

"It's not the only thing secret nowadays, huh?" Ace said snidely.

Boomer crossed his arms, mad. "I have my reasons, and so does Brick. He's hiding something, but if he thinks it's helping the city, I'll believe him."

Ace shook his head. "Believe _what_ though? For all you know, he could think setting the city on fire is beneficial. How do you even know the guy is in the right here?"

Boomer groaned, "I'm his goddamn Advisor, I _have_ to make sure he's right. If he isn't right, then we're all screwed. So regardless of whether he _is_ right, I'll _make_ him right."

Ace stared, unnerved. "Damn man, college hit you hard, didn't it?"

Boomer rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I have to stay here. The Blonde is very persistent in murder." he said.

"Sleep in the corner then. The couch is taken by those two Suits you've got." Ace pointed to a small corner, across from Brick who was slumped in a corner already snoozing. Boomer slid down by his brother, watching him silently. Ace climbed a ladder, and slept on top of a dresser converted into a bunk.

It was extremely dark in the camper. The only window was by the sink, and a shaft of moonlight filtered in, dramatically lighting up the table they had been sitting at. It was like a small spot light just for them. Just for that talk they had.

If God really were the one who gave Boomer all these chances, Boomer couldn't imagine the omnipotent creep silently shipping people from up above. That would be ridiculous, and kind of weird. Boomer couldn't help himself. He went to sleep, drifting off thinking of how weird God must be to set up something like chance encounters between ex's.

…

Blossom Puff Utonium was not pleased with her sister. She stood on top of a pedestal in empty space, watching the many scenes Buttercup, no… BC had starred in. Each of them were unsavory, and traitorous as anything. The Alpha Timeline, the original one they had came from, was going somewhat horribly.

BC had managed to secure the job as Media Advisor like Blossom asked, but if it weren't for Bubbles recklessness, that wouldn't have happened in the first place. She made disagreeable noises as she watched BC flirt with the idiotic new Mayor. Things were not going well at all.

" _My my, things are looking grim aren't they?"_ The demon chuckled. He floated causally next to her, a space of chaos and static surrounded him as he moved. Blossom tried to ignore the demon as much as she could. She didn't like to consort with Villains. Much less a spawn of Satan like him.

" _Still the ever silent one, I see? When will you see I am more than these claws and horns?"_ He had an ever present smile on his face. His teeth were all unnaturally white and sharp to the point. He was the stereotypical red demon. But He was more flamboyant about His existence. He wore a pink fluffy scarf that wrapped around His neck, and a red suit with a black clinched waist. It was all held closed by a black belt, with a brass buckle.

He had no hands, only sharp, shiny claws. His presence unnerved her a little. She would not let it show on her face. " _You know... since we're such great pals, I did a little digging for you. I've found a few... blips in the main reality. It seems your tampering has hampered a few people."_ He motioned towards empty air. The reality that Blossom was looking into disappeared, and was replaced with a new one. Her eyes went wide with rage at the scene before her.

" _Buttercup._ " She said through clenched teeth. The girl has fucked up too many times. The stupid bitch has caused an anomaly with her presence. Blossom began to breath heavily. Her face became red with anger. Slowly her aura started to show, she began to release her power. With each angry breath, she rose slowly into the air.

He tutted. "" _Now now. We can't have you doing that. You'll just cause more problems that way."_ He snapped his claws, and she dropped to the floor like a stone. She kneeled on the pedestal, and tried to stand, but couldn't. " _I don't want you causing those anomalies in my reality, darling. They can be very troubling for a God."_

Blossom yelled in anger. "You're no God! You're a _demon._ Even worse... a _Villain._ " She spat. He just chuckled.

" _You still have much to learn, little robot. But! In the mean time, how about we have a little chat. I want to make a deal with you. Again."_ He smiled widely at her. He put his claws beneath his chin and winked.

"Another deal...?" Blossom said slowly. He still had her kneeling on the pedestal. He floated up close to her face. His breath smelled sweet, and decaying, like a corpse with candy in it.

" _I'll help you with this blip in the mainstream, and you'll help me with something else."_ He crooned _._ Blossom narrowed her eyes.

"Who else are you dragging into this?" She asked. He chuckled and floated away to the screen that showed reality. He snapped His claws and the view changed. The reality had changed to that of a boy with glasses. He had red curly hair, and a white coat. He worked in some lab, or something.

"What does a scientist have to do with this?" She asked, looking at Him. He chuckled again, even harder than before.

" _He is no normal scientist darling! I think if you met him, you'd see there's more than just facts and numbers beneath those specs."_ He waved His claw again, and the reality changed to show that of a girl. She sat in a chair, and she had blonde hair and pretty blue eyes. She must be a ballerina of some sorts, because she wore some kind of pink costume. A tutu and a pink frock. Her hair was childishly pulled into pigtails with pink ribbon.

Blossom growled. "I still do not see the point in them!" She snapped. He floated down toward her.

 _"Oh trust me, you will when you meet them. They are very helpful to the both of us. You can have the dork, and I'll have the girl. All you have to do is get them over here. Deal?"_ He stuck out his claw. Blossom hesitated.

"What do you need the girl for?" She asked. He had finally let up, and allowed her to stand. She slowly got to her feet.

" _That's none of your concern. Just bring her here."_ He said.

Blossom couldn't decide if she should let him take the girl. She didn't know what he was going to do with her. But then she thought about it. _If someone is being called for a personal audience with a demon, how good can they really be?_ She took his claw and shook.

"Deal. Where are they?".She asked. He smiled widely.

" _In a little place called Denver.""_ He said.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:Sorry for the long wait. I was editing chapters for someone, and I didn't have a whole lot of time. This chapter is kind of short, so bear with me. I've been planning on writing something else in between this, just to keep you guys entertained between hiatus. I'm working on a couple chapters of a short story so stay tuned for that, I guess.**

Ace had never been a morning person. Often times, the sun coming up meant it was time to move. That it was time to start running again, or be caught. Now that he's older, he still had that urge to move during daylight. He couldn't stay in the cramped trailer till 8:00, waiting for the Suits to wake up. As such, he was the first person up and about.

The light had just begun to stream through the tiny kitchen window, centering on the tiny table he used to dine on. Boomer and his brother were slumped together in a corner sleeping, while the Suits took the couch. He ran his hand through his hair, wondering how he was going to ditch these Suits from The City. They were going to be a problem, all four of them, and he certainly wasn't gonna let them stay at his place any longer.

He was not only limited in space, but also time. Utonium was on the run, and he was playing games with Ace again. He walked outside, making sure not to slam the door so they wouldn't wake up, and decided to take a ride. Ace had never gotten a whole lot of presents in his life. In fact, he could count two gifts Arturo had given him over the years. The first gift being his jacket, the one on his back now. The second, a pair of gaudy shades he used to wear when he was younger. He kept them folded in his jacket now, and he never actually wore them anymore.

The third gift he ever received didn't come from Arturo. He remembered that just before Boomer left, he brought him a bike. A black and silver bike, with silver handles and decals on the side. It was the best gift Ace had ever gotten. The bike alone was enough to buy his way out of the Badlands, and into a decent apartment in The City. That is, if he weren't a Villain. Back then, Ace had said that he was thankful for it, and that he liked the bike, but words couldn't express how much he loved that gift.

He loved Boomer too. But those were different times, and very different places.

The bike, while a wonderful gift, had been… Neutered in a way. Because the bike was being given to a "Villain in Reform", some parts had to be cheapened so they wouldn't run as smoothly as they would on a normal bike. The bike could only go about 90mph, and Ace wasn't allowed to upgrade it to go faster. The bike even came with a tiny little shit-chip that announced to complete strangers, that they were in close proximity to a "Villain in Reform". At least he didn't have to worry about nosey neighbors, no one would approach him anyway with that chip in the bike.

He went to the side of the camper, where he usually tied up the bike. As he approached, though, he began to hear strange sounds. He listened closer, only wishing he hadn't a few seconds later. It was definitely moaning. And not the painful kind.

He didn't dare interrupt whatever client Snake managed to snag this time. "Good morning Snake." He called out. The moaning stopped abruptly, and Snakes head popped up around the campers corner. He grinned lazily at Ace, and waved.

"G'Morning, to you too." He said. Ace couldn't make out who Snake had hidden behind the camper this time, but he could see it was probably a Suit from the City. Ace cleared his throat.

"I need the bike. Or are you using it for something?" Ace asked. Snake chuckled, he must be drunk.

"Don' worry! You can have your bike, just after I'm done!" Snake said, laughing loudly. He was definitely drunk.

"We have company today." Ace said. Snake didn't answer, and the moans came back.

"It's Boomer. He's visiting today." That got Snakes attention.

He pushed the suit aside, grabbed some of his clothes and came to meet Ace halfway.

"Where is he?" Snake asked, putting his shirt back on. He at least had shorts on this time.

Ace shook his head, "It doesn't matter-" he began. Snake put his hand roughly on his shoulder.

 _"Yes it does._ Where the fuck is he?" Snake growled. Ace started to regret saying Boomers name at all.

"He's in the camper isn't he?" Snake said. He was pissed now, Ace could tell because he let a sliver of his hiss escape. Ace could hear it in his voice.

He put a hand up. "Listen, it's not like that, he brought his brother with him-"

"So Shit Head, and the Mayor are here? Perfect!" Snake snarled. He stomped over back to his client, who was indeed a Suit now that Ace could see him properly. Snake got his money, shooed him away, and stormed over to the camper door.

"Snake! Wait, dont-" Snake ignored him, and burst open the door, waking everyone inside immediately. The Suits were the first on their feet, and they tried to block Snakes advancement, but it was near pointless. Snake pushed them aside easily, and reached Boomer and Brick, who by this point were both standing in the corner, Boomer in front of Brick, trying to shield him from possible attack.

Ace grabbed Snakes arm, stopping him from grabbing Boomers collar.

"Touch him, and you'll get 30 years. 20 if your lucky."

Snake looked at Ace with loathing. "You wouldn't-"

"I wouldn't, but I will. Despite what a huge piece of shit he is, he's still a city worker, and you're a Villain in Reform. Know your place." He said. Snake pushed his hand away, disgusted.

He looked Boomer in the eyes, completely loathing his existence. He stalked out, slamming the door behind him. Ace sighed, and looked back at Brick and Boomer, who were visibly shaken by Snakes outburst.

"Come on, we've got work to do." He said. He left them standing there, and went to get his bike. A moment later, Boomer heard the bikes engine roar, and Ace sped off.

"Where is he going?" Brick asked, kind of pissed that even here people keep trying to kill him.

"To that station from last night. We better get there too." Boomer walked out the door, and the Suits looked at Brick for orders.

"You heard him. Drive us to the station. We won't be returning for a while." He said. The Suits obeyed, and walked Brick to the car. It was time again for another awkward car ride, all while trying to cope with the fact that they almost probably died again. Probably.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I'm sorry this is a little late, but school is starting up and I just wasn't in the mood for writing. But I forced myself to sit down and write this up. If you want some back story on some of the characters there's a short story series I'm working on with a co writer known as Mephonic. There's already a chapter up, so if you want you can check that out as well. Please leave a review, and if you haven't already, consider following either the story or me the author.**

"They're _dead_ man! They got in a fucking accident!"

Butch shot up straight in bed, and held his phone closer to his ear. "Mitch? What's wrong?" It was 3:00 in the morning, and Butch was very disoriented. He had barely got any sleep at all, in fact, BC left just two hours ago. He could hear his friend sobbing on the other side of the phone, his voice cracking with emotion Butch had never heard from him.

"Robin, man! She and Princess got in an accident or something! They got shot, and the police aren't sure if she was killed by the crash or..." he trailed off. All Butch could hear was a voice muffled by crying. He sighed. _Dammit._

"Where are you?" Butch asked. Mitch sniffed, his voice wavering.

"I- I'm at the Police Center on 32nd. It's the closest one to the crash-" he stopped abruptly. " _Oh God. A fucking crash!"_ He sobbed.

"Hang on, I'm coming over there." He said. Mitch sniffed loudly again.

"O-okay then, I- I'll just-" he broke down. He spoke after awhile. "I'm sorry, I just-"

"It's alright." Butch said. "Just stay at the station until I get there." He hung up the phone, and quickly got out of bed. He grabbed his coat, and put on a plain green shirt and jeans. He didn't even stop to comb his hair out. If anything, he looked like a drug addict, not the mayor of the fucking city.

The Red Sector night sky was a blanket of darkness over the city. The emulated stars in the sky were projected for the viewing pleasure of the citizens down below. Butch looked up, as he hailed a taxi. He remembered when those stars were real, and they were up every night for everyone. Not just some sector on the south side. The taxi came, and he stepped inside. The man driving didn't notice who he was at all. It seems his sleep deprived look of devastation really did work on the masses.

He told the taxi driver to bring him to 32nd street, a popular street known for its racy locals. It was also the last street before you hit the border to the Badlands. Robin used to call it the sticks. She grew up out there after all. Butch remembered when Robin first came to the inner city. Mitch had been so excited. He thought she was some cool, rogouish type of kid who was friends with all types of baddies. But she wasn't. She was "just some girl from the sticks."

Butch shook his head, and sighed heavily. He was gonna miss her, even if he didn't know her all too well. He recalled the phone call Mitch gave him, and his heart broke a little. _They're dead man!_ He must have meant Princess as well. _Man this sucks..._

If there were anyone beside BC he had trusted in the office, it was her. Was it really just a few months ago he had invited her to a party as a joke? Hell, just a few months ago he had both his brothers with him. How the hell did any of this happen? _Why was it happening?_ Why did it feel like God had some grudge against him? The taxi wouldn't reach its destination for awhile now. He closed his eyes, and put his head back against the seat.

The darkness that surrounded his eyes were suddenly over taken by a familiar green light. And then he saw it...

 **...**

 **The girl stood on a red tiled roof, nothing but a scarf on as warmth against the violent winds around her. Her dusty blue, halter top was ripped in several new places. The giant beads in her dirty, blonde hair had been scratched up as well. Butch could see the silver that the blue dye tried to cover. She had beside her a dusty aviators jacket, and a rifle. The scariest looking rifle he had ever seen. It was huge, and blacker than the sky above. He couldn't imagine how many rounds a monster like that could hold.**

 **The girl put her hand by her ear and spoke. "Alright. I'm in position. Just say when." She said. The vision was... different than the others. Butch felt as if he could look around, like he was there, but merely as a spectator viewing the sights. He caught a glimpse of her eyes, giant baby blues that could kill. If she weren't so terrifying, she'd be kind of cute. Butch looked out across the roof she stood on. They were at a mansion. Butch felt as if he knew this place. He felt as if he had been here or at least seen it somewhere.**

 **The girl spoke again. "Understood." She walked to the edge of the roof. "I'll take him out now. When I'm done, I'll contact her." She jumped down, and luckily Butch's view followed. She snuck around the building they were just on, and made her way to what Butch could only assume was a shed of some kind. The girl raised her foot, and kicked the expensive looking door down with ease. Warily, she looked around, probably trying to see if anyone had seen or heard her do that. No alarms went off, and both of them let out a sigh of relief.**

 **The shed was like any other shed, dirty and filled with junk. It was also very big, and some of the stuff on the shelves were not actually that old. In the midst of nice looking junk, there was one thing that stood out as truly junk yard trash. And that was exactly what the girl was going for. It was a red car, not a hover or Jojo like Princess had, but an actual car that ran on wheels and an engine. There was a puddle, and Butch could swear he smelt the gasoline from the cars tank. The car was covered in a tarp and pushed into a corner of the huge shed. Butch thought there was something wrong with it, and when she pulled off the tarp he understood why the car looked strange.**

 **The back end where the trunk and back seat would be was completely gone. And it looked like it wasn't a clean separation either. It's like something pinched it and tore it off, like a crane or some kind of pincer. But what could do something like that? The girl seemed to understand what it was she was looking at. "So I guess it's true, then..." she said quietly. "He really does have some kind of beast here." A Beast?**

 **Butch was very confused, and the feeling of being in the vision was disorienting him. He had never been in a vision this long before. And it had never been like this the other times. Never this vivid. He wanted to wake up from it. He couldn't be asleep forever, someone would have to wake him up to get him out of the taxi he was in...**

 **Before either of them could do anything though, they heard a blood curdling scream coming from the house. To Butch, it sounded like something out of a horror film. The girl turned quickly, and ran out the shed, only to stop right at the door. Butch followed, and looked up at the Monster before him. The girl cursed loudly.**

 **The Monster roared. It was a Dragon. An actual fucking Dragon, that burns and tears cities down. It's leathery wings stretched wide and broke through the ceiling of the mansion it had been hiding in. The Monster had broken through the ceiling of the mansion and was wildly out of control.**

 **It beat it's wings and tried to take off, but something was holding it down. It's wings were free, but no matter how hard it beat, the cords of wire tied around its legs and neck wouldn't let it go any higher. It roared and let out a stream of flames so hot, Butch felt the heat from the ground. He could hear screaming and yelling from inside of the building. There were people in there... he was gonna have to call for help or...**

 **The girl beside him stared at the Dragon with nothing but a look of annoyance on her face. Her eyes, once a cool baby blue, became almost electric and started to glow with power. Her hands and her feet radiated with energy, and it was then that Butch knew who she was. She put her hand to her ear. "I'm gonna be late for dinner. Save me a plate, will you?"**

 **She shot into the air with a streak of blue following closely behind her, and her fists met with the Dragons scaly snout. It roared and lunged at her, but she met it again with more blows. Butch stood there for awhile, watching a girl of wonder beat the hell out of a Dragon, until he finally shook himself out of his stupor.**

 **Bubbles grabbed the Dragon by its neck and with a loud grunt, flung it straight for the shed.**

 **And it was then that Butch finally woke up from his intense vision.**

 **...**

The taxi had stopped, and they were at their destination. The police station on 32nd street was crowded tonight. The taxi driver looked back at him bored, and with a waiting hand outstretched. Butch gave the man a 20, and got out of the car. He walked across the gravel parking lot and entered the building. It was a bustling mob of people, officers and journalist alike moving around frantically. Everyone trying to get to some office or another. Butch looked around for Mitch, wondering where they were keeping him and the rest of the family. He was much more relieved when he saw BC was here. _Of course she'd be here. If I'm here, she has to show._ He was about to greet her, but the look on her face was anything but cheerful.

She held a small clipboard, her signature pager, and a blue envelope marked just for him. She handed him the envelope, looked at him with an almost mournful expression, and walked away. Butch looked down at the envelope, and was almost sickened by what he saw as the stamp on the seal.

It was a heart with red and pink coloring. In the middle was a logo he had only seen scrawled on broken and destroyed buildings of Townsville. **PPG.** It was even marked with cute little stars and rainbows. What made it even worse had to have been the blood stains on it. _Was this left at the crash site?_ He wondered. With slightly shaking fingers, he opened the envelope, only to reveal an even more disturbing message.

 **You have failed in everyway,**

 **So everyday we'll make you pay.**

 **You may see us with your power,**

 **But we shall blind you with the Tower.**

 **Brothers**

 **Or**

 **Lovers**

 **It matters not.**

 **Neither shall defeat us.**

 **Just you watch.**

 **XOXOX PPG 123 XOXOX**

Butch stood staring at the blood stained letter, and wanted only two things at the moment. His Brothers, and some coffee.

...

Him stared at his monitor and smiled wickedly, giggling like a child on Christmas morning. He lay on a red velvet love sofa, and kicked his feet in the air excitedly. He turned to look at Blossom, standing on the little pedestal he summoned for her.

" _Did you like the designs I did on the envelope? Very cute, no?"_ He said, smiling. Blossom scoffed.

"You made my message look like it was written by a child." She said with contempt. He laughed with mirth, his claws holding his side's to stop them from hurting so much.

 _"But my dear,_ **You are a child.** _"_ He finished in a deep, serious voice.

Blossom stomped her foot. " _Demon!_ Do not forget who forged this contract! I still have the right to revoke everything I agreed to!" She said. Within seconds, he was in her face, blowing purple hookah smoke at her. Blossom coughed, and gagged, as the smoke filled her lungs and made it impossible to breathe. She fell to her knees.

The smoke dispersed, and Him was on his love seat again, chuckling darkly to himself. Blossom had no idea where he got the hookah from, or why it was even that toxic. Him spoke.

" _You know, arrogance becomes you quite well. Though I don't think you are the Anti Hero you claim to be."_ He said. Blossom was inclined to ask him what he meant, but he spoke again, stopping her.

 _"Last time I checked, Anti Heroes serve no master as you so eloquently put it. But you forget who gave you that silly little stool to stand on in the first place."_ He laughs heartily like he's heard a good joke. He points at her pedestal.

 _"Do not forget who gave you that platform, otherwise they may get angry and push you right off it."_ He said.

The room was quiet, save for the sound of the hookah and static of the monitor.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I'm gonna be at school on a couple of days, so the story is gonna be on hiatus until I can start writing again.**

Orska Gay was not ready to deal with an emotionally wrecked intern, grieving over his dead cousin. She was not ready to deal with the backlash of the public when they learned of Princess Morbucks' death. She wasn't ready for either of those things. But if there was one thing that she would have given anything to not deal with, it was Butch Johnson coming to her with the bloodied note from the powerpuff girls. He slammed the letter on her desk, and looked at her angrily.

"We have to deal with them." He said. She sighed, exasperated.

"I know your angry-" she began.

"I'm more than that."

"But think of what the public will do if they know." She said. Butch punched the wall, denting it.

"Who gives a fuck what the public thinks! We've got a terrorist group on the loose killing random people on the street." He said. Orska had the nerve to scoff at his statement.

" _Random?_ You think these assassins are targeting _random_ people?" She said, grinning madly. "Jojo, look around you. The only people being picked off are your family and friends. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this attack is a planned effort, not some random ass thug shooting people like it's stone wall!" She spat. Butch looked disgusted.

"So what? We're gonna keep this under wraps too!? Hide it to stop a mass panic!? What if the attacks _cause_ mass panic? What the fuck do we do then, Orska!?" He said, leaning against her desk. He stared down at her. Sickly green eyes met steel gray ones. And Orska looked away.

"I don't know Jojo. I really don't. From where I'm standing, things are pretty fucked right about now." She said. She ran her fingers through her hair. "Telling the public that the Powerpuff girls are back and in action could destroy the community." She walked over to her desk, and pulled out an old dusty file.

"These are files from before your brothers term. A long time ago. When Red Sector was called 'Townsville'." She handed it to him, and he opened it. Inside were pictures of his childhood. Ruined buildings. Bread lines. Grafittied walls with that damn symbol on them. The Pink and Red heart that the Puffs claimed as their sigil. Their stamp of approval. Butch pushed the pictures away.

" 'Townsville' used to belong to them. Red Sector is _mine._ I won't let them drag this place down with them." Butch said. He came upon a picture of a familiar sight. The observatory where he used to live with Mojo. He picked up the picture.

"My father worked his ass off to change even the slightest things. When those girls showed up, things went to hell, and he was the only person with the brains to fix it. He may have been a villain, but he proved himself a citizen. Just like Brick did. Just like I will." He set the picture back down in the pile.

He faced Orska. "We will tell the public everything. We will show them what kind of mayor they have, and that's one that won't let a bunch of little girls tear his city apart." He said.

"You're gonna need a lot of help then." BC said from the door. She had the courtesy to close it so no one would hear. Butch eased just by seeing her there. Orska scowled.

"You're late." She said. BC shrugged.

"I had stuff to do. But I'm here now." She took out her pager, a sign that things were about to change immediately. "We've got to set up a press conference if you're revealing something about the Puffs to the public. Luckily, I have several spots ready for approval. All we gotta do is show up to them, and we're good." Butch laughed easy.

"BC, what would I do without you?" He asked. She smirked down at her pager.

"The same stuff. Just 90 percent slower, and with less coffee." She answered. She eyed the note on the desk. Butch sensed her unease.

"Don't worry." He said pushing the note in with the files. "The Fed's have already done stuff to it. They can't find anything on the damn thing. But I've got a trump card up my sleeve." She eyed him curiously. He glanced at Orska quickly.

"I'll tell you about it later, but right now we have a conference to hold." He said.

...

Today was a day of familiar sightings for Butch. The conference was being held in the same park that Bricks funeral was held. His body was buried somewhere among the gravestones. Boomers too. Butch had picked this place personally.

"Are you sure?" BC had said. He nodded.

"I want it to be there. Where the observatory used to be." He said. His father's observatory used to stand high in this park. But now it's gone. Destroyed years ago by monsters. The press was a sea of mics and cameras, all simultaneously flashing in his face. He took a moment to compose himself. He spotted BC in the crowd, giving him a mock salute. And then he was ready.

"Citizens of Red Sector, due to the past few months, we have experienced great changes in security. But now I fear we will have to brace ourselves for even more." He began. "A great scourge that threatened our streets before, has returned." The cameras flashed.

"The PowerPuff girls, a vigilante group who thought they were protecting the streets of Townsville, is now picking off members of Red Sectors City Hall. City Hall is not just made up of politicians. It was not a place to just hold meetings. It is filled with everyday citizens like yourselves who come to work to make sure this city works like a well oiled machine." Tonight I lost two people again. Two people I counted as my family. And it wasn't just me who was affected by their deaths. The entire staff of Peachy Keane Elementary, the school Miiss Robin Mitchelson worked at, is grieving her death now. Do you know what they have to tell the children in the morning? About why miss Mitchelson isn't coming to school anymore?" He breathed. The press was deadly silent.

"It was fine when it was just my brothers. Because they didn't have anyone but me to grieve for em'. But now it's getting too damn close to antagonistic. We have worked too hard for those girls to come back and try to tear this city down, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna sit back and watch them do it." He finished his speech. The press tried to swarm the stage, but security stopped them. Butch didn't listen to their questions, though. He made his way over to BC.

She had a grim expression on her face. "That was one helluva speech. But now you've got the others on your back." She pointed to Orska in the corner, angrily talking to her media supervisor. Butch waved it off.

"Thats not important. What is important, is my trump card on the Puffs." He said.

"You're seeing things?" She guessed. Butch looked surprised.

"Yeah... how'd you guess that?" He asked looking at her.

"I didn't. I knew." She answered. She looked even more sick. "Look man, I gotta tell you something." She said. He put his hand up.

"You're... one of the Puffs right? I thought about that awhile ago when we were in Luckys." He said. "I wasn't completely sure though... I thought you were some flower child, and you got stuck with a name like But-"

"Don't say it aloud here, they could be listening." She said. "Wait... why haven't you..."

"Ratted you out yet? Because I want to hear what you have to say personally. No doubt you'd lie to one of the Suits. I want to know which one of you did it." He said. "And trust me, I'll know if your lying to me." He said. She nodded and sighed.

"Alright but look, I know it looks really bad. But it's not at all how you think. I'm the one who killed Princess and Robin-" Butch gasped.

"But it wasn't for why you think I did it. I have a way to bring them back, I just ne-"

"You can bring them back?" He asked quietly. She nodded.

"Yeah I can. I know it was shitty of me to kill them, but I didn't do it out of spite or anything like that. I had to break the chain somehow." BC said. Butch was thoroughly confused now.

"What do you mean, break the chain?" He asked.

"Your brothers, and Princess are stuck in a time loop. Of sorts. They aren't really dead, well they are in this time line, but the ones you remember are stuck in loops somewhere else. I don't know where, but I know how to get to them." She said. Butch ran his fingers through his hair.

"Jesus." He sighed. "Timeloops?"

"I know that probably sounds really stupid, but-" he waved her off.

"No. I believe you. I just-. _time loops?_ " He asked again, incredulous. He knew he was seeing things, but to think time loops had anything...

"What about you? Why are you... helping me? Aren't you a Puff?" He asked.

"I'm helping you because... this is not the first time we've done this. It has to stop now. I can't watch her kill you anymore." She said. "That note was not meant just for you. It's a message for me too."

Butch waited for her to continue. "Blossom saw what I did. She knows that Princess is stuck in the loop with Robin now. If Princess can just beat me... if she can make the suit... We may have a chance." She said. BC's pager rang. She looked at it, and returned to the all business media advisor he knew her as.

"You've got meetings to go to now. So? What do you say? Do we keep this between us?" She asked. Butch looked her up and down. Literally every fiber of his being was telling him this was a terrible idea.

"Yeah okay, let's keep this between us." But he agreed anyway.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Sorry this took so long, I had to force myself out of a writer funk. I just didn't feel like writing anything for some reason. But i forced myself to write this chapter for you guys. And honestly, i think it's been way too long since we last hung out with Princess. Please leave a review of the story if you like it, or better yet, like the story and follow it for more. Or follow me, either is good.**

 **I have a tumblr, so if you have questions talk to me there my username is CartoonCaretaker.**

Staring out at the sunset, Princess flicks open her lighter, putting a cigarette to her lips. She had canceled her plans with Robin, and subsequently decided to go somewhere Buttercup would not expect. She made it through the night, but the night was only a few hours ago. For all she knew BC was way better at tracking people than she initially thought.

She decided to camp out on the far side of Red Sector. Not necessarily the Badlands, more or less just some dessert that was never cultivated. It was cold, and the wind was not helping much. Princess hadn't gone home at all, she wanted to confront BC. She had stood there, leaning against her Jojo in the middle of the dessert, for hours thinking of reasons she was a target for assassination.

She at first was prime for the idea that maybe it had something to do with her father, but looking back on his behaviour, she doubted whether he had the nerve to even talk about her in public. It had been a rough few years, and let's just say he was an old fashioned man, in body and mind. He not only dressed like it was 1950, but acted like it. The media didn't know about that side of him though. They took him as a dapper gentleman in a modern society, or something stupid like that.

If it wasn't her father, than maybe it was really her. Maybe they were coming after her because she had unintentionally said something she shouldn't have. She can't recall ever hearing about any murder cults in Red Sector, but she had seen a disturbing amount of followers for the "Old Regime", as she jokingly called it. No... She shouldn't joke about the old days. It _was_ a regime. Those girls were like mini Hitler's in drag, minus the ugly mustache of course. At the time, Princess remembered loving those girls.

She wanted to be like them when she was smaller. She wanted to "fight crime, and save the world, all before bedtime!" Just like the film's used to say. She was gonna catch villains, and throw then in the slammer, just like those girls. And she was gonna destroy monsters too. But she never did.

She chose not to. She saw, eventually, what she really wanted when she talked about being a Powerpuff Girl. She wanted power. She wanted people to obey her, and take her advice to heart. It was only when she saw an opening for Mayor that she knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to be mayor. But of course, she didn't do that either.

The sand is kicked up behind her in a cloud, and she turns to see the familiar car she had been waiting for. _Guess she really is a pro at tracking,_ Princess amends. BC steps out of the car, and looks at Princess with a determined demeanor.

"So," Princess begins. "You've come to kill me again, I guess?" She says. BC shakes her head.

"Not this time but," she says. "I won't stop until you beat me."Princess gets up from the car, and stands fully.

"What do you mean? I have to kill you or else the resets won't stop?" She asks. BC nods again.

"You have to beat me here as a means of fixing everything." She says. "I am the key. The center of everything, right now at least. It'll only last a few days, but if you can beat me here or tommorow maybe, then nothing bad could ever actually happen. Time will reset, but from the beginning, when things truly went awry."

Princess squints at BC angrily. "What hell are you talking about?" She says, taking a step towards BC. She may just get her death wish.

"I can't really explain it all, as it would take forever for you to understand the concept. I'm the center of time, at the moment, that is. I can only hold it like this for so long. Eventually I'll burn myself out, and time will just continue to reset for you. Forever." She says.

"You need to find a way to beat me. And I mean _really_ beat me. I can't just lay down and let you kill me. It won't work otherwise. It doesn't count as you beating me."

"So that's your excuse for killing me over and over!? Stupid rules that don't make any sense?" Princess says.

"Not an excuse, more like an irrefutable fact that can't be changed. I don't make the rules to the universe, I just control them... slightly." She says. "Plus, I had to get your attention somehow. I had the feeling that killing you, and watching as time reset itself around you, would be enough for you question what was happening. Plus me doing the actual killing would probably get you fired up."

"You're damn right I'm fired up!" Princess shouted, clenching her fists at her side. BC was definitely getting her death wish.

"Just who the hell are you? _What_ the hell are you?" Princess asked.

"A former Puff." She answers to Princesses surprise, but the name should have given it away easily. Buttercup Hayes. Buttercup Utonium. Just a last name change is all. "A _defected_ Former Powerpuff, actually." She opens her car door, and looks back at Princess.

"I can only hold Time for a few days. This means if I kill you by the end of the week, it resets. And it will keep resetting forever. Unless you can find a way to kill me by then." She says.

"Duking it out now would be pointless. Super strength and all that. So go prepare yourself. You'll need all the help you can get." And then she drives off, leaving Princess in the dust next to her expensive Jojo, the blue prints and plans already forming in her mind.


End file.
